3, 2, 1
by hdink
Summary: Bella moves to New York & somehow things go from better to worse as she is left pregnant & alone. Her saviors come in many shapes & sizes with one thing in common. 3 pregnancies, 2 weddings, 1 happy family. Warning*drug use & smut ahead. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Well, this will be my first multi-chapter story and I have the first three chapters written and have started on the fourth one. I have things mapped out on a calendar, storyboard whatever you want to call it! Things might be jumpy for a while, the first few chapters span a few months time, but I am not good at the boring stuff, and lets face it. A story without Edward has a very high potential to be boring.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except the crazy ideas and scenarios I put my favorite characters through.

* * *

How can I be this happy and this sad all in one moment? What is usually the second single most happiest day in a girl's life, second only to getting married, is turning out to be the second thing to go wrong since I moved here.

Two and a half months ago I was living a life of contentment. I had just graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design and was working at a prestigious Design Firm in a thriving metropolis...in the middle of nowhere. Needless to say I found it extremely satisfying that a big name magazine in New York was interested in not only interviewing me, but doing it in person. None of this phone interview stuff that some of my other job offers have succumbed to.

My talent and willingness to do what I live for was recognized and they were very excited to bring me out here to do an interview. When things with my flight and hotel arrangements were going too smoothly, I was looking for the interview to fail. However, to my surprise, they decided they were interested in hiring me before I even made it out the door. Apparently I had that girl-next-door charm that they were looking for, they had yet to see it in all their native interviews. Having a hard work ethic comes from growing up in the midwest, I guess we're bred a little differently than those on the coasts.

After I got home, I put in my two weeks notice, had all my things packed and shipped to my new apartment in New York. Who knew that working for a well known magazine came with luxuries of not even having to look for a place or worry about rent for the first 6 months as well as I performed at my job. If I would have known that the rest of my stay wouldn't have been so easy, I might not have been so eager to leave everything I had known for the past 15 years.

When I arrived at the airport I wasn't looking forward to having to take a cab into the city, so I was surprised to find a slightly scrawny young man with a sign that had my name on it. He quickly ushered me and my carry-on into a classy town car. We drove in complete and awkward silence through the light afternoon traffic. Apparently arriving at the perfect time to make it to our destination in under 45 minutes. I would come to know that his was a rarity for anywhere in New York from the airport. As we pulled up to what would be my home for the next several months and possibly beyond I was shocked to find that it wasn't a gaudy monstrosity. Apparently the driver, Eric happened to work for the magazine and it was his job to make sure that I was able to check into my new living quarters without any problems. The security guard taking up residence in the lobby seemed to be genuinely nice and things just kept looking up.

The loft apartment had two separate suites and I would apparently be sharing it with another female, that according to Eric should be arriving sometime tomorrow. I had a few days to get all my boxes unpacked that were currently taking up way too much space in a corner of my rather large walk-in closet. I tried to tip him as he bid me goodbye, but he wouldn't have any of it. What a gentleman.

I immediately got to unpacking the boxes and before I knew, I was setting the time on my clock for midnight. I quickly dug out some pajama's, seeing that I was at a stopping point and crawled into the bed with my fresh from the dryer sheets. I didn't want to get to bed too late, and miss my opportunity to finish the rest of the unpacking so I could be done by the time my new roommate arrived. Being an only child, I had never had to live with anybody other than my parents, so I was a little anxious to be sharing such an intimate space with another human being.

By dawn the next morning, I was already up and not looking forward to facing this day without coffee. In my rush to get everything out and in it's place, I had already gone through the boxes for my kitchen and turned up empty handed. Apparently I forgot to pack the espresso machine that my mother had insisted that I needed. After taking a quick shower, I threw on a pair of board shorts, and my purple converse, don't I love being color coordinated...not! It's not like there was going to be anybody up at this ungodly hour anyway. I grabbed some cash and headed out to see if I could find the nearest Starbucks. I stepped out of the elevator to be greeted by the same security guard from last night, he was very fit and an extremely attractive man with dark hair and beautiful eyes.

"Good morning Ms. Swan," he greeted me.

"Please call me Bella, I would rather be on a first name basis if I am going to be seeing you daily."

"Of course, and you can call me Tyler, how was your first night?"

"Great!" Knowing that I had already probably wasted enough of his time I tried to rush a little too quickly out the door, but forgot he might know where I could find coffee quicker. I turned around to get his attention and he was still looking at me.

"Hey Tyler, where's the nearest Bux?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know the nearest Starbucks?"

"Oh, there's one just down on the corner, go out the door and take a right. You'll be right on 42nd St."

"Thanks," I mumbled and turned around to head out the door when I was hit by a rather solid object. I didn't think I was that close to the door, but I didn't have time to contemplate much further. I tumbled backwards towards the concrete floor only to be caught by a strikingly handsome blonde man. His hair was spiked and he had a perfect smile. Upon closer examination, I noticed that his looks were more boyish, with a little bit of a baby face.

"Whoa there, sorry about that, I didn't think you'd be moving anytime soon. I should have moved out of your way." He smiled again.

"It's okay, it happens all the time, I'm rather clumsy." I hurried to get out the door before I embarrassed myself any further. A wave to Tyler and I was headed to bitter bliss.

The sun was shining bright and as I rounded the corner onto 42nd, I was hit by the smell of fresh-roasted coffee beans and Spring. I walked through the outdoor tables, where a few patrons were lazily sipping their coffee. As I stepped up to the door, I said a quick thanks to the sunshine smiling down on me and walked up to the counter. Placing my order for my Tall Vanilla Mocha, I was reminded how rather plain I am.

I scanned the men and women that were waiting for their orders to be filled. Over to the side I noticed two women that seemed to be in their twenty's. They were both beautiful, but one was absolutely stunning. She had golden blonde hair and perfectly pouty lips, I was sure she would be a model if she wasn't holding a three year old on her lap, while she laughed jovially with her friend. The other had a more subtle beauty, some might even consider cute, with short, cropped black hair and a slightly upturned nose. When they stood up to leave, I noticed they were carrying several bridal magazines. I quickly assumed that the dark haired one was getting married, seeing as the blonde woman had a child and appeared to have a different glow about her.

After they left my order was up and I headed back to my apartment to finish unpacking the last few boxes.

A few hours later, I had just finished putting the towels away in my bathroom when I heard the front door open. She had arrived and now that I got everything of mine put away I would maybe be able to lend her a hand if she needed it. I walked out of my room into the living area and was greeted with a blonde bimbo. She had on way too short of a skirt and an extremely tight top. Hmm, things were starting to look down again. That is until the second woman walked in, she had dark brown hair and dark rimmed glasses. She appeared to be a few inches taller than me and rather shyly smiled at me.

"You must be Isabella."

"Bella, my friends call me Bella, and I'm afraid I wasn't ever given your name." I said while relief washed over me, she looked like someone I would be getting along with.

"I'm Angela and I believe this is Lauren. She works with Conde Nast."

"Alright girls, let me give you a quick overview of how things are going to go for the next few days before you report to work on Monday."

She explained that we would need to come into the office tomorrow so we could get the papers for HR filled out and then we were free until Friday evening when our presence was requested at a new Club Opening.

"It's not very formal, but please don't show up wearing what you're wearing," she snared at me. Seriously, like I would show up to represent my place of employment wearing what I wore to college classes when I didn't have time to shower. Thankfully, she left shortly after that comment leaving us with a card and a number to call arranging our ride to the party.

"Whew, I didn't think she was ever going to shut up," Angela stated after she shut the door and moved towards her boxes.

"I'm just glad I didn't have to ride in with her yesterday, I had a rather nice gentleman that picked me up and hardly said two words. I just finished unpacking my things, would you like some help with yours?"

"That would be unbelievable, thanks!"

On that note we struck up one conversation after another. Sharing our entire life stories way into the night. We finally finished around one in the morning and headed to bed. I now had great hopes for the budding friendship with my new roommate. I couldn't wait for tomorrow, so I could start with the orientation and who knows, we might even do some shopping for the Club Opening. I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep, tomorrow was going to be a long day!

* * *

Please leave me a review if you saw something you liked or didn't. I can only get better and I need to know if I should stop writing it :) Although, right now I am writing this for me and I am very excited about where these characters are headed!


	2. Chapter 2

Here is the next installment. I have great plans for this story and can't wait to see your reactions the further along we get. Enjoy!

Disclaimer - I own nothing! No copyright infringement intended.

* * *

**Chapter 2**  
As excited as I was about my new job, I was a little disappointed that I didn't enjoy the orientation that Angela and I attended this morning. After we were up and ready, we walked together the few short blocks to Conde Nast building.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Lauren, except her outfit seemed a little more work appropriate today. She ushered us into a conference room off the 4th floor cafeteria that seemed to resemble more of a lounge, than a board room. It took a few hours to fill out all the paperwork and go through the Orientation Videos, that consisted of various topics from work place ethics to sexual harassment in the work place. I really hoped that was the first and last time we would be required to go through orientation.

We left around lunch time and decided we'd stop for something before we headed to do some retail therapy, to help us wind down from the morning and to get something that would hopefully showcase us in a positive light for the party on Friday night.

"Ugh, I can't believe this is the tenth place we've been to and we have yet to find one decent outfit for either of us," Angela complained.

It was now getting close to dinner time and our light lunch was no longer holding back the stomach growling.

"Too bad we don't have a personal shopper to help us out, someone that could tell us the stores to go to and find exactly what we were looking for," I agreed.

"Yeah, even having someone come to the apartment with a clothes rack, now that would be the life."

As we walked out of the current store, a light bulb went off, we work at a magazine company, that deals with several fashion magazines. They would have racks of clothes and they would be designer, AND they would just be going to waste. Too bad I didn't feel like getting too chummy with Lauren, or she could help us out.

"Alright, let's try a few more stores before we head back to the apartment and call it quits."

"Sure, sure," I quickly agreed as we headed to what would hopefully be our last stop.

Walking in we were greeted by a young guy, a little short for my taste, I like them tall, but none the less, he wasn't bad on the eyes. I turned around to see Angela staring a little too long at him as he took her hand and kissed it, so romantic.

"Good evening ladies, my name is Ben. Is there anything in particular I could help you find?"

"Uhh, we're actually looking for clothes," Angela managed to make at least a little sense.

He smirked at her, but seemed to be doing a wonderful job at holding his laughter in.

"We're looking for something that we can wear to a club opening tomorrow night. We represent Conde Nast and need to look the part of Chic Professional women." I quickly helped her out. He proceeded to lead us to the area of the store that looked like it house outfits that already resided in my closet. I didn't know about Angela, but I'm pretty sure I should be able to find something here.

It wasn't long before I had found what I was looking for and headed to the checkout, only to realize that Angela never seemed to be in the dressing room with me and I didn't see her holding any clothes. In fact, she was giddily chatting with Ben. Well, at least she found something in this store, even if it wasn't for sale.

"Hey Ang, are you going to be ready to go soon?"

"Yeah Bella, my stuff is already paid for behind the counter, Ben helped me pick it out." She came walking towards me and I tried not to look too shocked. Whatever. I quickly decided that I probably was going to find a lot of things shocking the longer I stayed in New York.

"Do you know if we are allowed to bring a plus-one to the opening?" she quietly asked me.

"I have no idea, I don't see why not, but you might want to call Lauren or you could call the main line tomorrow and speak with somebody named Mike, he's supposed to be the person in charge of the event."

I paid for my purchase while she bid Ben goodbye and we headed back to the apartment with our purchases.

****

The night of the opening came much too quickly. We had arranged for a car to pick us up out front and Tyler was aware of that. I had no idea what to expect when we would be arriving at Inc. Lounge, later this evening, very much later. It was the official opening of the club that would be the newest club from Ric Addison. I'd done my research on his previous clubs and they were all full of ambiance and would literally help you to step in to whatever world he had created. From what I'd read on the press release, Inc. was supposed to take on a 1970's Rock and Roll feel.

I came out of my room, fully dressed in a sleek black strapless number, black patent leather heels with a hint of red underneath, my favorite Ghibli patent red clutch, I was hoping it could become my signature accessory and grabbed my grey sweater, to tone down the overly dressed-up vibe I had going. Angela was lounging on the couch in a gorgeous white dress, with flowy polka dot mesh.

We headed down to the car. There was a lot going on in the lobby, so there was no need to feign interest in a conversation with Tyler. Stepping out in to the New York traffic on that Friday evening was miraculous. I felt like I was finally living my dream, only it had become my reality. A black town car with dark tinted windows was sitting at the curb outside the door, the driver held open the door and we were ushered inside.

Walking into the lounge was like a throw back to 70's Rock and Roll. Red leather couches, dark black and contrasting white walls with mood lighting. There was a red pool table in one of the rooms and a lavish DJ table set up in the corner, the only thing missing was a stage for a live performance. There were a few guys behind the bar that seemed to be winding up for the rest of the night.

I don't really remember much after that, most experiences that happen out of the ordinary for me, this club opening included tend to fly by and I only vaguely remember things that happen. I remember meeting and mingling with important clientele, but the person I remember the most was the bartender, James. He was Hot and he was showing interest in ME, this small town girl from the middle of nowhere. We hit it off, but Angela and I left before I had the chance to exchange numbers with him. I believe in destiny and fait, so I never wonder about missed opportunities, if it was meant to be, I would see him again.

* * *

Just to let you know Edward will be part of this story, but it will be a few chapters before he shows up in all his glory! Sorry this one is a little short, I will work on making them longer but I don't believe in filling it up.

**Beta** - I would love to have a beta for this, if you are interested in being privy to the happenings of this story and could help me out in the process that would be great. Also, a BETA that is good with smut would be helpful!

Review so I know where to improve!


	3. Chapter 3

_Previously_

_I remember meeting and mingling with important clientele, but the person I remember the most was the bartender, James. He was hot and he was showing interest in ME, this small town girl from the middle of nowhere. We hit it off, but Angela and I left before I had the chance to exchange numbers with him. I believe in destiny and fate, so I never wonder about missed opportunities, if it was meant to be, I would see him again._

_*****_

**BPOV**

With my large work load at the magazine and acclimating myself to city life, the next month flew by faster than I ever could have imagined. Angela and I developed our routine.

She was a morning person and therefore every day I was greeted with the smell of fresh brewed coffee. I would set out the stuff for breakfast, normally just simple things like bagels or cereal.

We were both clean freaks so there was no issue in keeping the apartment cleaned, and we were both fabulous cooks, so we took turn making our meals. We worked together like a fine oiled machine.

The two of us had decided after the club opening that every month on the 29th, we would make a girls night and venture out onto the streets of NYC. We wanted to celebrate our survival as city girls, and while we may not be natives, we were definitely born for New York.

We hadn't made any decisions yet on where we would be going exactly, but I kinda had my heart set on Inc. If I was completely honest with myself, I was excited to see if James still worked there.

"Hey Ang, what do you say we head out to Inc. tonight?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't be able to read my high-school-crush expression.

I was wrong, "Oooo, are you wanting to go there for any particular barten...I mean reason Bella?" she teased.

After a long discussion, followed by a pillow fight, we decided that tonight we would, in fact head back to Inc. I almost squealed out loud, but reigned it in at the last minute.

In the past, I hadn't ever been the type of girl that went to a bar often enough to get to know the bartenders, but I was open to making an exception.

I had gone for a completely different look for this evening, instead of chic played-down elegant, I was going for more grunge. I donned my chucks, but they went perfectly with my crazy big hair and my tight lacy dress. It was a bit on the small side, but was definitely becoming one of my favorite dresses.

I had worn it to work a few weeks ago to the magazine and people wouldn't stop commenting on it. I thought I'd try it out this evening and maybe get a little lucky. I giggled to myself.

Hah! I'd never set out to get lucky in my entire life.

Yep, I was still a virgin at 23 and hadn't had a serious committed relationship since I was in High School and that one didn't even last long enough for things to get past second base.

As we headed out for the evening, we were trying to space things out so we wouldn't show up to the club looking too eager, especially since it had been a month since Angela and I had gone out.

She'd been spending all her free time with Ben and I had a feeling that come the end of our 6 month trial stay in this apartment, she would be moving in with him if she was offered a permanent spot at the magazine, which I knew she would be. This meant I would eventually have to find a new room mate, or figure something else out. However, Ben wouldn't be joining us this evening, and that meant no distraction for Angela if James did happen to be working tonight.

"Good evening ladies, you are both looking lovely tonight. Where are we off to?" Felix asked as he greeted us outside the door of the apartment building.

He held the car door open for us and helped us into the car.

"We are heading to Inc Felix, and you are looking quite handsome yourself," I flirted.

Being a New York girl was definitely bringing out a different side of me. I felt more confident, independent, and dare I say frisky?

He gave a little chuckle as he put the car in drive and pulled into traffic.

Upon our arrival at the club, we had been put on the VIP list so we walked straight in ahead of all the people who were standing in line. It felt like we were celebrities, which I suppose in our own minds we were. But what girl isn't her own personal goddess?

As soon as we were in we headed for the bar.

I immediately started looking around the crowed room. It was obvious to Angela that I was looking for someone.

"Don't hurt yourself Bella, your neck is not designed to go 360."

"Shut it!' I laughed back at her.

Then, there he was, looking just as good as he did last time with his spiked dirty blond hair, and his tight white shirt, he looked a little scruffier since the last time I had seen him and he seemed to be off in his own world when I appeared in front of him. He snapped out of his haze and we quickly started into a conversation.

"Well, well" he started, "If it isn't my gorgeous Bella. You don't know how much I wanted to see you. I guess wishes really do come true." His eyes danced as he spoke to me. I could tell by the look he was giving me, that he truly did want to see me.

"Hello James, we were just stopping in for a couple of drinks. I'm surprised to see you here." I lied. I was hoping and praying that he would be here, but I didn't want to seem to desperate.

"Hey, I'll be right back, ok? What would you two lovelies like to drink?"

"Um..I'm not sure, what do you make that's good."

"Don't worry gorgeous, I gotcha covered." He winked at me as he walked away.

He left to get our drinks and fill the drink orders for others scattered around the bar, waving their money in the air.

This gave me a chance to take a look around the club. The last time we were here, I was too nervous and too busy to actually take in the atmosphere. Inc was definitely not like the old dives back home. No. This place was classy. All of the patrons were very well dressed. You could tell there was A LOT of money in this room.

He brought me back my drink, and it was delicious. It was sweet with a hint of rum. It went down down smooth, just the way I like it.

When I asked him to make me another, I also asked what it was called. He gave me a mischievous grin as he whispered, "I made it up especially for you. I haven't named it just yet, but I was thinking of something like the Bell Banger. What do you think?" He snickered.

I couldn't help myself as I reached over the bar and held his hand and said "I love it," and winked.

We continued to chat and flirt with each other and every once in a while, he would help someone else at the bar and give them attention but he would always come back around to me.

I vaguely remember Ben showing up and ushering Angela out of there. I told her to take the car and James offered to get me home safely. I had no reason to doubt him, he worked at a well respected lounge.

I couldn't remember how many drinks I had, but I was definitely feeling the effects of the Bell Banger. I couldn't stop smiling and the music that was bumping in the club had me moving on the stool. I kept seeing James look at me. If another guy walked up to me while I was sitting there James was quick to make it known that I was off limits.

"Hey Bella, I get done in about 15 minutes, would you like to go to my place for a little while before I take you home?"

_Oh. My. God...I can't believe he just asked me that, I mean do I turn him down, because I don't want to but do I really want to go to his place this late? _

Without a further thought, I downed the rest of my drink and nodded my head yes. Probably a little bit more vigorously than I should have.

After 20 minutes, we were headed out of the club, but instead of hailing a cab, he said it was a short enough distance and since I wasn't wearing heels we could just walk.

We got to his apartment building, I don't know what I was expecting, low-class dark and dreary but it looked like something out of a movie. It wasn't classy, it wasn't even really nice, but I knew that not everyone could afford to live the way Angela and I had been living in New York. We were fortunate that our reputable magazine had the decency to take care of its employees, even their interns. I sighed and followed him to his door on the second floor. _At least there wasn't anybody passed out on the stairs._

Stepping into his apartment, made me a little uncomfortable. He seemed to keep it clean, and once the lights were flipped on I felt like I might be able to relax a little bit more. After he shut the door, he proceeded to lock us in. It was like stepping into Fort Knox, I think I counted at least four locks. _Cue the nerves_, I probably should have made sure Angela knew I was coming over here, or that someone knew I was going to be at James'.

"James, I don't know how long I can stay. Angela will be expecting me, so I can only stay for a little while."

"How about a quick drink, we'll sit and talk and then I'll call you a cab."

"Sure, do you have any coke?" It wasn't until he answered me that I realized what I had asked for.

"Wow, I didn't realize you were into that type of hard core stuff Bella, or are you sure you don't have another nickname, like Izzy?" With a smirk on his face, he walked a little closer to me.

"NO! Coke as in Coca Cola, I don't think I should have any more alcohol this evening, I am already feeling a little sleepy," I said with a yawn.

"With or without alcohol?" He asked. "How about a lime wedge with that?" He was already in the kitchen preparing the drink and I really couldn't turn anything down that came with a lime wedge.

I sauntered into the kitchen and leaned against the counter next to him to watch him work. Even though this wasn't the bar, he was still in his element. He flipped the bottle into the air and caught it behind his back before pouring the Whiskey in with the coke. With a flick of his wrist, he had added the lime wedge, pure perfection. I sighed.

After a few flirty glances while he put things away and handed me my drink, he placed his hands on my hips and reached down to grab my hand. Bringing it up to his mouth, he licked the inside of my left wrist and poured some salt on it. He slowly licked it again, before bringing the lime wedge from my drink to his mouth and sucking on it.

I had never had any guy show me this kind of attention before, of course it's not like I had spent a lot of time in a bar. _This is definitely not a distraction I need right now_.

I couldn't resist when he leaned in for a kiss, anticipating the lime that would linger on his lips, awaiting the hint of whiskey that was likely still lingering on his breath.

He tasted better than I imagined and the kiss turned from tender to heated within a matter of seconds.

I pushed against his chest and he stepped back. Dropping his hands from my hips to lace his fingers with mine and pulled me to the couch for more of the heated make-out session. The alcohol continued to course through my system and I could barely keep my eyes open.

_When I knew I was a light weight, why did I think drinking so much would be a good idea?_

*****

When I awoke early the next morning, I was in my own room, with no recollection of being brought home. The sun had yet to rise and I had no idea what time it was, I also had a pounding headache and goose bumps rose on my flesh.

"Bella, Bella wake up." A quiet voice whispered beside me.

I opened one eye to see Angela standing there looking way too awake for a Tuesday morning.

_Wait, it was Tuesday and I had to be at work for a staff meeting this morning. Ugh, maybe we should have thought this through before we went out on a week night._

I shot out of bed only to stumble backwards and plop back down, I felt like my head weighed a hundred pounds.

"Angela, what time is it?" I groaned.

"It's about 7:15, if you hurry through your morning routine, we'll be right on time," she calmly stated.

Whatever, I didn't have time to contemplate this further. We needed to get to work on time and I wasn't about to screw anything up. I'd deal with this later, when I had more time to think and figure out what the Hell happened after I had that last drink with James.

**EPOV**

"Dr. Cullen, could I see you for a consult?" Addison poked her head into the locker room.

I hadn't quite made it out of my coat, so I followed her out the door.

Maybe I'd get to go home after this patient. I just couldn't say no. She was too nice, always roping me into doing something for her. I didn't mind. It's not like I had a family of my own to go home to, not like she did.

When I walked into the room and saw the very pregnant strawberry blond, whom I was introduced to as Tanya, I felt a slight pang of jealousy of the man holding her hand and smoothing her sweaty hair away from her face. She looked like she had been in labor for quite some time, several hours at the least. I looked over her chart and looked back to Addison.

"Hello Tanya, how are you feeling?" Addison softly asked the woman. She became livid but after some reassurance from her husband and a quiet whisper in her ear, she didn't say anything.

It was times like this that I wondered why I even went into medicine. I loved saving lives, and I loved being around women, but it was a constant reminder of what was missing from my life.

"She's actually hoping that it will end soon, we've been here for almost 24 hours, and she's been in labor pretty much the whole time, is there anything you can do?" her husband, Lucas answered for her.

On the outside, he seemed to be rather calm, but I know for him to see his wife that way it must be tearing him up inside. At least she seemed to be perfectly healthy, and wasn't in any danger. But still that is a little long to let her go when they could further induce her.

"Dr. Montgomery can I speak with you outside please?" I whispered to Addison. As she quietly followed me out and shut the door.

"I don't know what to do Edward. She's in a lot of pain, but progressing naturally. There's nothing dangerous with letting her continue, this is what they did for centuries but I feel so bad. She would prefer to not have a C-Section, and I am granting her that but this is the longest I think I have ever seen a woman in labor."

"It's your call to make, but I wouldn't let her go past 36 hours if you can help it. And I'd ask Carlisle, even though he's not an OB/GYN he still has a lot of experience. My mother had three healthy children and he was there for those births, as well as when my sister-in-law had her daughter. Actually Rose might be a good person to ask, she was in labor for 29 hours and at that time, I had only been a resident for a short while, so I hadn't seen anything like that. In fact, that could have something to do with her, as in Roses', likelihood of never having another baby."

I remember her devastation when her OB told her that. She had me look over her charts at the time, and it wasn't impossible but her chances were certainly slim. She had been devastated and it had pushed her further into Postpartum depression.

As she thanked me and went back into the room, I watched from the sidelines.

It happened so often. Working in this department, we commonly interacted with each others patients. If I had an appointment scheduled, but a labor came up I knew she would cover for me and I would do the same.

Ever since my birthday a little over a week ago, I felt like my time was slowly running out. Yes, I had a great career and was one of the youngest in my field, but I didn't just want to be a doctor. There were more things I wanted to do, I had just been putting them off.

I had one more year before I turned the big 3-0. I had so many things I wanted to accomplish and thought I would have accomplished by now, that I felt like time was just passing me by. I had high hopes for this year. With Jaz and Ali getting married, they say things happen in threes, so hopefully something good would come for Em & Rose and the last good thing could somehow involve me.

____

Sorry the EPOV was short, but I wanted to give some sort of information about him in there. This story is going somewhere, I promise. IT is going somewhere good. Let me know what you thought and hopefully you all want the next chapter that is in the works! Would you be interested in seeing the outfits that I find for them? Anything I am leaving out that you might want to see. There will be more smut in later chapters, and it won't involve James, he's not a main character :)

Also, I happen to know very little about being a doctor, so please forgive me. Internet research can only be so helpful.

Have a great weekend!


	4. Chapter 4

Another month went by, although this one didn't go as smoothly.

I was pretty sure that the night I left with James I had given up my V-card but had no way of contacting him unless I went to the club.

I never expected to get serious with him and I still didn't. We hadn't exchanged information and I had no idea if we used protection, or whether or not he was really in my bed that morning. Which is why I was glad we had decided to stop by Inc. on our way to another club this evening. I would get a chance to see him and get some answers. Not that I was looking for a serious relationship, but I had enjoyed my time with him at the bar.

Angela and I had become regular event attendees. Every weekend there was some event happening that the magazine had ties with and we were encouraged to go. Needless to say, we had gotten tired of shopping and were now relying on the outfits that our dear friend Mike had started supplying us with.

A few weeks ago, Angela and I had arrived from another long day of shopping, except this time we were not only tired but empty handed. When we stepped through the doors, we were greeted by Tyler and the blond man I had ran into on my first morning here.

***Flashback

_"Hello ladies," Tyler greeted us with a little more enthusiasm than I was used to._

_"Tyler," Angela said very casually._

_"I'd like to introduce to a good friend of mine, we go way back. This is Mike Newton, he currently works for some big company in Paris, but is usually here in town once a month. You girls might have heard of Christian Dior."_

_Now, you should know that yes, Angela and I work for big name magazines that are into fashion, celebrities and how to achieve orgasms. _

_What you don't know is that we don't work in the any of those specific departments. Angela take pictures, and I take those pictures and rearrange them along with other elements to make them pleasing to the eye so you aren't looking at a jumble of stuff. Big misconception about working for a magazine. _

_Now where were we? Oh right Mike, I wonder if he is the same Mike that was in charge of the Club opening?_

_After the introductions and Mike explained to us who Christian was, we explained our dilemma. He agreed to help us out and asked if we'd like to come with him or if he should just bring some outfits to our apartment. _

_We agreed that even though we were dead on our feet we'd still like to show him our appreciation and maybe he could bring it over and we would thank him with dinner. Well, I would thank him with dinner, after living with Angela I had come to find that we were safer if she stayed out of the kitchen._

_***_

Suffice it to say, when Mike returned that evening with a rack that had both our sizes, he insisted we keep all the outfits and wear a different one each time we went out, that there were always more where they came from.

He promised that any time he was in town that he would love to accompany us. And tonight he was supposed to be stopping by, even if only briefly. He was indeed the same Mike that had been in charge of the opening at Inc. Apparently he dabbled in everything from fashion to event promotion and planning. He was a Jane of all trades as he liked to describe himself.

I was in my closet trying to figure out what to wear when I heard a knock at the door and Angela answer it. I knew immediately who it was when I heard him enter the apartment.

"Angela! Oh my god angel don't you look good enough to eat."

"Oh Mike, it's been entirely too long since I've heard a line that good."

"That's because you've been hanging out with straight men Angel."

Yep, Mike, who had become a dear friend of ours was an excellent flirt with the female population, but it came naturally to him and girls were drawn to him because there were no reasons for insecurities. He knew how to woo a woman, even though he didn't need to. He was happily single and loved to torment Angela because she had become pretty dependent on Ben.

"Now where's Bella, is she ready to go? She's the one that asked me to be here early so we could hit up Inc. first. Bella?!?"

"In my room Mike, I can't figure out what to wear." I whined. It was amazing the person I became around Mike, he just made me feel like a completely different, care free girl.

"Sugar you know I can't help with that," he teased. "But why don't you wear the lovely blue number, it has some elegance about it while being alluring. You know it would look good with your skin tone."

"I was hoping to save that one for a date-" he cut me off.

"You have a date, why didn't you tell me, we have so much more to do than just get you ready for this evening. Unless it's THIS evening, when did you get asked out, where did you meet him, does he have a nice ass?" As he continued to spew word vomit, I doubled over in laughter followed by tears. Luckily I hadn't done my make up yet or I would be redoing it.

"No Mike, I don't have a date. But that dress just seems to good to be treated with disgrace by wearing it to a bar even if it is classy, unless it's with a nice guy."

"So you don't even want to wear it to impress that bartender you were telling me about?"

"I told you, even with all that happened, I am not interested in a serious relationship with him. He was a hot guy to hang out with, good for the heated make out session and if sex was involved, I'm sure it was good too."

"But not panty dropping enough to remember right?" He asked me as he continued to dig through my closet. "I know there's a good guy out there for you Bella, you have too good of a heart and one hell of a sense of humor to have it wasted on me and Angel.

*****

Mike ended up handing me a jean skirt to wear with heels and a strapless black top. Topped off with gaudy amounts of silver bangles that finished it off quite nicely. We were in the car headed to Inc. when Angela asked me how I was feeling. The past few mornings, I had woken up with the stomach flu and I couldn't seem to get over it. The rest of the day I felt fine, but I told her that if it happened again tomorrow morning, I would call and make an appointment. Mike nonchalantly asked me when my last period was and I answered him with about a month and a half ago when things got eerily quiet.

"Felix stop at the drug store on the corner," Angela hollered out.

"What Angela, why? Are you not feeling good now?" I quickly asked her while placing my hand on her forehead. "I hope I didn't give it to you."

"No Bella, we're stopping there for you. Don't you realize what this might mean?" It was Mike's turn to raise his voice. Apparently there was something going on that I wasn't privy to.

"I don't need anything, I wore deodorant and these shoes aren't going to give me blisters, and even if they do I have an extra band-aid in my clutch."

"Haha Bella, seriously you don't know why we are stopping?" Angela asked. I shook my head hoping she would tell me.

"Well if you can't remember if you slept with James and it's been a month and a half since your last period, I'm pretty sure-

"Alright you guys don't have much time, this is only a 15 minute drop zone and I'd like to not have to drive around the block to pick you up," Felix said from the front seat.

"We'll hurry, thanks Felix." Angela answered him as she got out dragging Mike out behind her.

"Aahh, people have got to start finishing their stories around here," I groaned frustrated but shuffled out of the car and ran to catch up to them. They were headed to the personal care section and turned down the aisle with tampons, pads, condoms and PREGNANCY TESTS. It finally dawned on me. If I didn't remember anything happening, I had no clue if we used protection and I wasn't in a serious relationship, so there was no need for me to be on birth control. In all rationality, I could very well be pregnant.

Angela grabbed a few and Mike did as well before we headed back to the front of the store. I grabbed a carton of Ben & Jerry's, because if the results were positive, I would need it and they would be glad I grabbed it.

Neither of them brought it up again as we got in the car and headed to Inc. I wasn't sure if I should take the test before I spoke to James or not. But I didn't have much time to decide before we were pulling up right outside. I decided I would find out if anything happened before I took the tests.

"Okay," I took a calming breath before continuing. " Let me talk with James before either of you say anything and nobody mentions our little stop or anything that might hint at what I might be got it?" They quickly nodded their heads and followed me through the doors and up the elevator.

It was just after nine and the place was starting to fill up. I didn't see James behind the bar but headed over there anyway. Once he saw me I was hoping he'd come out. Unfortunately that didn't happen and I sat there for about 30 minutes nursing club soda on the rocks, because if I was indeed I didn't need to be drinking. When he failed to approach me, I motioned for the other bartender who I vaguely remembered to be Laurent to come over to me.

"Miss, what else can I get you?" He asked in his English accent.

"Actually I was looking for James, is he working tonight?"

"I'm sorry to tell you this dear, but James hasn't been with us for quite some time." And pointed to an article that was taped to the side of the bar.

**NEW YORK — **_**Bartender James Flanagan, 27, died from an accidental overdose of several drugs — painkillers and sedatives — the New York City Medical Examiner's Office said Wednesday, leading doctors to warn of the dangers of mixing prescription drugs. **_

_**"We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications."**_

_**In addition to the painkiller oxycodone, the list of generic names refer to drugs more commonly known as the painkiller Vicodin, anti-anxiety medications Valium and Xanax, and the sleeping pill Restoril, while Unisom is an antihistamine commonly used as a sleeping aid.**_

_**There was no mention of alcohol or illegal drugs.**_

There was more, but I had read all I needed to. I didn't say anything, I didn't know what I should say. I didn't cry, I just continued to breathe, as the words I had just read found a spot in my brain to bury themselves until I was ready to deal with them.

It was dated July 6th, exactly one week after I had spent the evening with him. I had nothing more than a few short evenings, several hours at the most with the guy. I wasn't heart broken, but I could possibly be carrying his child and now I can't even talk to him to find out. I suppose once I take the test, I will have my answers.

I heard a gasp next to me and felt a hand on my shoulder. I guess that meant they had read the article and I wouldn't have to tell them. As I got up to leave, I gave a curt nod to Laurent and headed out of Inc. I didn't think I would be coming back for quite some time.

"Would you guys mind dropping me off at the apartment before you head to the next bar. I really don't think I could handle being pleasant tonight and I am interested to find out if I am pregnant."

"Absolutely not Bella," Mike reassured me.

Great, now I'd have to hang out with them all evening and then take the test tomorrow morning.

"We're not going anywhere without you. Plus I want to know if I am going to be a godmother."

Before I knew it, we were back at the apartment, waiting on the test results. I didn't need to see it to believe it, I was 99.9% sure that the results would be positive.

The second hand on the clock got louder as each minute passed. Finally the timer went off and the three of us crowded around the counter in the bathroom. I had yet to open my eyes and look at the test when I heard a squeal.

"Congratulations Bella!" Mike and Angela said at the same time, with way too much happiness.

How can I be this happy and this sad all in one moment? What is usually the second single most happiest day in a girl's life, second only to getting married, is turning out to be the second thing to go wrong since I moved here. Finding out that James had lost his life and I would someday have to explain that to my child made me sad.

Here I was, surrounded by two people that had been nothing but supportive since I had met them, and yet I couldn't feel more alone.

I didn't want to have to call my parents, seeing how that conversation could go. Hi mom, hi dad, so I'm pregnant, but don't worry asking about the father, because he's not around. They'd ask why and I would have to tell my father, the Chief of police in a small town that he had died from a drug overdose and in fact would never be around in this life.

You read about bad things happening like this all the time in the news, but you never imagine you would intimately know the person you were reading about.

I left the two of them in the bathroom, but they didn't stay in there long. They were carrying on some conversation that had to do with ice cream and shells? But since I hadn't been coherently listening, I was able to continue to tune them out.

As I looked our the windows of our apartment, I saw the city that never sleeps. The city I had yet to call home.

Making my way to my bedroom, I thought about the sleepless nights that lay ahead of me and the life living inside of me.

* * *

_A/N - The newspaper article was taken from some newspaper and it holds similarities to the one printed in regards to Heath Ledger, in case you were wondering._

_Alright, so we are 4 chapters in now, is this a story worth continuing for a long time or do you want to see it wrapped up quickly and skipping major spots of time? Just curious what you would like to see! You guys have been great with the reviews, keep them coming they make me squee like a little girl!_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine.

* * *

**PREVIOUSLY**

_"Congratulations Bella!" Mike and Angela said at the same time, with way too much happiness._

_How can I be this happy and this sad all in one moment? What is usually the second single most happiest day in a girl's life, second only to getting married, is turning out to be the second thing to go wrong since I moved here. Finding out that James had lost his life and I would someday have to explain that to my child made me sad. _

_Here I was, surrounded by two people that had been nothing but supportive since I had met them, and yet I couldn't feel more alone. _

_I didn't want to have to call my parents, seeing how that conversation could go. Hi mom, hi dad, so I'm pregnant, but don't worry asking about the father, because he's not around. They'd ask why and I would have to tell my father, the Chief of police in a small town that he had died from a drug overdose and in fact would never be around in this life. _

_You read about bad things happening like this all the time in the news, but you never imagine you would intimately know the person you were reading about. _

_I left the two of them in the bathroom, but they didn't stay in there long. They were carrying on some conversation that had to do with ice cream and shells? But since I hadn't been coherently listening, I was able to continue to tune them out._

_As I looked our the windows of our apartment, I saw the city that never sleeps. The city I had yet to call home._

_Making my way to my bedroom, I thought about the sleepless nights that lay ahead of me and the life living inside of me._

_******_

Dawn came early that next day, the rest of the night had passed in a blur. I don't even remember falling asleep.

I had one thing to do on my list today. I needed to call and schedule an appointment to make absolutely sure that I was in fact pregnant.

Pregnant. I still couldn't quite grasp that I was going to be a single mother. Of all the ways I imagined my life going, this was definitely not one of them.

I rolled over, and grabbed my cell from my night stand. After putting a call into work letting them know that I would be taking a personal day, I got up so I could get online and find a reputable hospital in the city, as well as get some coffee.

Angela was already in the kitchen when I sauntered in.

"Morning Bella," she chirped.

"G'morning," I sleepily replied as I started to pour myself a cup.

"Bella! You know you shouldn't be having coffee."

Bewildered, I stared at her. What was she talking about?

"Why not?" I asked.

"Studies have shown, that drinking too much caffeine during your pregnancy can have a negative effect, including birth defects and even cause you to miscarry."

"Ang, I only have one or two cups a day during the week and none on the weekends. Besides, my mom drank Coke while she was pregnant with me and I turned out fine." She shrugged and seemed to drop it, for the moment.

"Are you scheduling an appointment for today?"

"Yep, know where I could find a good baby doctor? Or the best way to find one, besides google?"

She laughed. And so did I.

"I'm serious, I have no idea where to start. I have yet to even see a Gyno since I've been here."

"You could just ask Tyler from down stairs."

"Eww, gross! Like he would have any idea where to look for one AND I don't want everyone to know I am pregnant."

"Eww. No! I meant, he would know who in the building is pregnant and they could give you a recommendation. Or I could ask Lauren today when I get to the office." She smiled sweetly at me.

"No thanks, I'm fine. She's definitely the last person I want to find out. She'll probably just assume I'm getting fat when my stomach starts to expand!"

"Whatever, let me know what time you schedule it for and if I can get off I'll go with you." She hollered as she left the room and shut her door.

*****

After spending 45 minutes doing some pregnancy research I had found out that Metropolitan had the one of the best maternity programs in the Tri-state area. I had gathered all the information and records I had brought with me, just in case they asked any questions that I didn't have the answer for off the top of my head.

The phone rang a few times before a pleasant voice answered the phone.

"Good morning, Metropolitan Hospital, Maternity Ward. This is Kate, how may I direct your call?"

"Hi Kate," I proceeded to tell her about my predicament, and she looked to see when she had an opening.

"Well Ms. Swan, I have an opening at 11:00 a.m. with Dr. Cullen or you can come in at noon to see Dr. Montgomery."

"I'll go ahead and take the 11:00, please."

"Alright, I have you down for 11:00 a.m. with Dr. Edward Cullen. You'll need to make sure you arrive at least 15 minutes early..." She continued but I didn't hear a word she said after hearing the doctors name.

"I'm sorry, did you say Edward?"

"Yes ma'am, I did."

"So he's a HE."

"Yes ma'am, HE is. Now, Dr. Addison Montgomery is a female and she has an opening at noon if you'd like to take it instead. I know sometimes it is a little uncomfortable having a member of the opposite sex all up in your lady parts." She paused. "Mmm, mmm, especially one as yummy as that Dr. Cullen."

I cut her off, afraid she would only continue.

"Thank you Kate, but I don't think I will be too worried about that."

After we had that scheduled, I went ahead and took a nice long hot shower and got ready for my appointment. I chose a knee length bohemian skirt in a teal and a simple white tank with some color coordinating necklaces. Wearing jewelry always made me feel extremely feminine. I hardly ever wore it unless I was dressing up for work. But I wanted to make a nice first impression since I would be seeing this yummy Dr. Cullen, as Kate put it for the next several months. Psh, who was I kidding, I wasn't going to the hospital to pick up a guy, especially MY doctor. I finished the ensemble off with some flip flops and headed out to hail a cab.

Since Felix was carting us around if we went anywhere late at night, I had taken to using the Yellow Cab system whenever I went anywhere during the day. It helped me to feel like I was a true New Yorker, that and when I used the Subway, but I hardly ever used it by myself. Angela and I lived so close to work and all of our usual haunts, that we walked everywhere.

The hospital was a good distance away and I arrived with plenty of time and was ushered back into an exam room.

I sat in the room for what seemed like an eternity. A nurse had come in and taken my weight, temperature and blood pressure, all the usual tests, but she hadn't been in here for at least 15 minutes. I heard two voices in the hallway. One was a man's and the other's a woman. They seemed to be in a deep discussion and then the door finally opened.

"Hello Ms. Swan, sorry to keep you waiting. It seems that my colleague had something come up and asked if I could step in for him. My name is Dr. Addison Montgomery, do you have any questions before we get started?"

* * *

I know, I know...I am evil. Short chapter and all, but this is how things had to happen. I know you were hoping that is how they would meet, and this is HOW they meet but not yet! I have wonderful things planned darlings!

As it stand now, Edward will be taking the reigns next chapter, at least for the beginning...review and you might get a teaser!

OH YES! If you want to see the banner I made for this story, check it out on my profile page!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine.

This chapter is a little longer, hope you like it!

* * *

**PREVIOUSLY**

_The hospital was a good distance away and I arrived with plenty of time and was ushered back into an exam room._

_I sat in the room for what seemed like an eternity. A nurse had come in and taken my weight, temperature and blood pressure, all the usual tests, but she hadn't been in here for at least 15 minutes. I heard two voices in the hallway. One was a man's and the other's a woman. They seemed to be in a deep discussion and then the door finally opened._

_"Hello Ms. Swan, sorry to keep you waiting. It seems that my colleague had something come up and asked if I could step in for him. My name is Dr. Addison Montgomery, do you have any questions before we get started?"_

*****

**EPOV**

I couldn't believe Rose. She thought she had the right, just because she was family, to pull me away when I had a patient scheduled. We had sat in my office while she told me her symptoms, and explained that Dad had suggested she have her blood tested to see if she was pregnant and I couldn't agree more. I don't know why she wanted me to confirm what dad had already told her, he wasn't the chief of the hospital for nothing.

Yes, I know this is my area of expertise, but I couldn't give her a definite answer unless she went through the procedure. When I asked if she wanted to do that now, she sneered at me and asked if I would see if Addison was available. Ugh, the nerve.

Luckily it hadn't taken very long and I would be able to relieve Addison sooner rather than later and get a little face time with my newest patient. As I rounded the corner of the hallway, the main desk came into view. My normally graceful stride faltered.

Addison was standing there talking with a woman that couldn't be more than a few years over 21. She took my breath away, as I stood there and took in her beauty. Letting my eyes wonder the length of her form.

She had dark brown hair, fair skin and what looked like deep, dark brown eyes. She glanced down the hallway where I stood and gave a slight smile in my direction, I could only hope it was meant for me.

As I continued toward the women in front of me, the beautiful brunette bid her goodbyes, gave me one last glance and got on the elevator.

"Addison, I'm done with Rose. Did you want me to finish up with Ms. Swan with you or would you like to finish this session without me?" I asked, keeping my eye on the elevator as the doors closed.

"Actually Eddie, that," she pointed towards the elevator, "was Ms. Isabella Swan, Bella, as she corrected me earlier. So, I won't be needing your help with this appointment. And it seems like it will be a fairly easy case. If you'd like, I could keep her as my patient, I have a few openings."

She continued to ramble on, but I barely heard her. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the closed elevator doors. I had given up spending time with the beautiful brunette for Rose? I turned back to Addison.

"I'm sorry Addison, but would you mind keeping her as your immediate patient, and I would like to perhaps be present at the next appointment so I could offer my apologies and provide consultation."

She raised her perfectly manicured eyebrow at me and smirked.

"Really Edward, you want to consult on a patient that I just said is going to be a fairly straight forward case?"

"Umm...yeah," I cleared my throat, "do you have a problem with that?"

"Nope, no problem at all. Kate, please place a reminder in Ms. Swan's file that both Dr. Cullen and I need to be available when she books her next appointment."

**BPOV**

My first appointment had gone rather smoothly, considering I had been psyching myself up, getting in the mindset to deal with a male doctor and actually felt relieved when Addison stepped through the door.

She was friendly, while still remaining professional and she had a great personality, with a just a hint of sarcasm. The doors opened and as I stepped through onto the elevator, I turned around to find the bronze haired doctor watching me.

_I wonder which department he belongs to?_

Making my way back downstairs to hail a cab was uneventful. After arriving at the apartment, it was still way too early for Angela to be home so I settled on the couch to watch some daytime television. Nothing good was on, and I must have dozed off because I was startled when Angela came barging through the door shortly after five.

"Hey Bella! How'd your appointment go? Was the doctor man hot?" Angela never ceased to amaze me, she never says what I think she will.

We had a slight disagreement this morning that the only guys that go into that specific field are players or old men like your father.

"I don't know Ang," I replied, trying to hide the grin. I wanted to leave her hanging for a little while.

"Come on Bella, that smile on your face says otherwise."

"No, I wouldn't know because my doctor was a woman. Dr. Cullen had something come up so his colleague covered for him."

"Bummer," she mumbled as she plopped down on the couch next to me, picking up the remote and changing it to Friends.

"But," I paused and she eyed me, waiting. "There was a hot doctor that approached Addison as I was getting on the elevator." I had to give her something to get her through the night.

"Oh yeah, too bad he wasn't your doctor." _Yeah, too bad._

Our conversation deflated quickly, so I grabbed my laptop and started my mommy-to-be research. I couldn't believe all the stuff that was available, hundreds, probably thousands of websites were available ranging in what to expect, what I needed to be doing, places to go and I could get real life advice, even information for the father, family and friends. Heck, I could even track the growth of the baby from week to week!

I also came across sites that helped the mother prepare the nursery, planning a baby shower and getting registered for said shower. Good thing I have plenty of time before any of this needs to happen, I shouldn't even be thinking about those yet. I bet Mike would be interested in helping out with those things, luckily I didn't think I would have to worry there.

***

I managed to waste the rest of my evening on the internet, though I suppose there are worst things I could be doing than researching my pregnancy. I typed out a quick letter to my boss, letting her know that I was now an expectant mother. I would give it to her sometime in the next few weeks when I found out their standard protocol. Working in a magazine, I was surrounded by women and surely they would have a way things like this are handled.

Over the next month, my priorities shifted. I was now more concerned with making sure I could make it through my bout of morning sickness, than what I was going to wear on our next night out. I had a few questions that I called and spoke with Addison about, minor things, as well as scheduling my next appointment.

After I had given my letter to my boss, she had mentioned the women in the creative department that had recently had children and suggested that I get to know them and develop a support system within the office. She too had recently found out she was pregnant with her first child and we were able to build a foundation for a relationship outside of work. Then she went on to talk about maybe including a working mom's feature in the next edition, perhaps we could find a model or actress that had a kid or a kid on the way or both. She had the interns doing research on the internet and calling modeling and acting agencies to see if anyone would be interested in taking part in this issue.

With things moving rather quickly, it had come time for my next appointment. Things were a bit peculiar when I had called to schedule this appointment. The receptionist, Kate, had mumbled something about both doctors being available at the time I chose. I chocked it up to too many things going on at once for the poor woman and went about my business.

Today was my scheduled appointment and I was definitely more excited this time. I had been doing a lot of internet research and I had been taking my pre-natals, I felt like I was finally in the mindset of where a mother-to-be should be.

***

As soon as I arrived, I had been ushered back to a room, just like last time. I had never seen things move at such a rapid pace, getting in quickly and the nurse that checked my vitals was precise and polite. I only hope that every time I come in, things can move like this.

Just as I was about to pick out a magazine, Addison walked though the door followed by the cute doctor I had caught a glimpse of during my last visit.

"Hi Bella, how are you feeling?" Addison asked as she sat down on the stool next to me.

I didn't know how to answer her, I felt fine, and I wanted to tell her that but my mouth and my brain weren't cooperating. I was close up and personal with the most handsome man I had ever seen. He had the rugged, sexy, I haven't shaved in a few days but it only makes me hotter thing going on. As I continued to stare I realized time had been passing, I'd managed to stammer something that Addison understood and she started into her routine, while Dr. Handsome cleared his throat.

"Goodness, excuse my manners Bella. This, is Dr. Edward Cullen, he is my colleague and he will be consulting with your pregnancy."

_What? Why would I need a consult? Is there something wrong with my baby?_

I must have spoken that last part out loud, because Addison was already answering me.

"No, there's nothing to worry about. At least nothing that I've seen so far. Every once in a while, we will both work with a patient. It gives us a chance to learn from each other and it's only an added bonus for the patient to have two doctors looking out for them."

"Hello Bella," Dr. Cullen said. He had a deep, sexy voice, one that I could sit and listen to for hours. Whether he was telling me about his day, or chanting my name in the midst of passion. My thoughts caused me to blush and he chuckled.

I gave him a smile and a wink. I don't know what got into me, I've never winked at a guy before.

I felt better when he winked back at me, and returned the smile with his lopsided grin.

Addison stepped out to grab a few things from her office and left Dr. Cullen and I staring at each other. I didn't have to wait long before he broke the ice.

He apologized for having to skip out on my last appointment and assured that he wouldn't be missing another. I didn't even get a chance to respond before Addison reentered the room.

"Alright Bella, I have written up a prescription for another 4 weeks of prenatal vitamins, please be sure to follow the directions on the bottle. And this is a list of books that we recommend to every mom as they enter into their second tri-mester. Also, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call and speak with Dr. Cullen or I."

With that she held the door open and I hopped off the exam table, only to get my foot caught on the step that was sticking out from the bottom. Before I had a chance to tumble to the floor, I was caught by a pair of strong arms. I assumed it was Edward, and was rewarded when I looked up and he was mere inches from me. I could feel his breath on my face, he smelled of mint and something sweet, distinct that I couldn't quite place.

He lifted me up and set me back on the exam table. I didn't even notice Addison standing with the door still open.

"Let's try that again shall we," he asked, as he pushed the step so it was completely hidden beneath the table.

"It's alright Addison, I'll take it from here. I know you have a patient coming in shortly, don't let us keep you."

A moment passed between them, and then she was gone.

He started to check me over and I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Dr. Cullen, there's no need to do another examination, I think you caught me before I could do any real damage."

He laughed, "I'd rather check to be sure."

As he continued to look me over from head to foot, I got curious about this gorgeous many that was putting a lot of effort into making sure I was comfortable, both during my initial exam and this accidental one. I was looking down as he finished with the top of my head when I got up the nerve to try and start a conversation with him.

"So, how often do you and Addison consult on the same patient?"

"Never," he replied on instinct.

My head shot up and I collided with his chin.

"Ouch," I whispered under my breath and started rubbing the spot.

After a quick glance at Dr. Cullen, seeing that he was doing the same thing, I started to giggle.

"Oh, you think that's funny," he asked. "You seem to be taking me down with you, I'm not sure how long its safe for us to be in the same room together," he chuckled. I knew he was joking, and dare I say flirting?

"What can I say? I'm a walking, in this case sitting hazard, I just pray that this one doesn't end up with my sense of balance." I rubbed my belly.

I continued to rub my not-yet-visible bump as his expression changed.

"Does the father have better balance," he asked.

"I'm not sure," I replied. I smiled timidly at him. I wasn't sure if I should go into the details with him.

"You don't know if he has better balance than you?"

"Actually, no. I only ever met him a few times and he's not even around to discuss this," I gestured to my stomach, "with."

I thought I heard him mumble something about a dead beat father.

"He died before I had a chance to tell him." I stated as an after thought.

"Bella, I am terribly sorry to hear that."

"Well, I really should be going, Dr. Cullen."

"Bella, please call me Edward. And forgive my rude behavior just now. Sometimes my verbal filter doesn't work, and that was one of those times."

I chose to ignore the last few words and concentrated on getting off the table without any incident.

He held the door open for me and as I stepped through, I placed my hand on his arm.

"Edward, thank you for taking the time to meet with me today and the extra special care after my mishap."

"You're welcome Bella."

I waved goodbye to Kate at the desk and was on the elevator and out the exit minutes later.

Walking outside I ran over the past hour in my mind. Meeting Edward, made me hope for the day that I would meet a man like him that would sweep me off my feet. I would have to wait a long time before something like that would happen. Once I have this child, and even while I am pregnant, I know men will see that or find out and run, as fast as they can in the opposite direction.

I had just reached the waiting cab when I heard someone shouting my name.

I turned around and saw Edward jogging towards me. His white coat trailing behind him in the hallway, bright as the sun shone off it once he stepped through the doors. He finally caught up to me and tried to act all macho, like he didn't need to catch his breath.

"You forgot your prescription," he breathed.

"Oh. Thanks. Sorry you had to run all the way out here to catch me." I smiled sheepishly.

"Not a problem," he replied, finally managing to catch his breath.

I nodded my head and turned to get in the car when he said my name once again, grabbing my hand as I turned around.

"Bella, I won't always be consulting on your exams. You asked earlier about how often Addison and I both will take on the same patient and I responded never, because we've never done it before. I chose to let Addison take you on as a patient, because after I saw you last month, I was hoping to get to know you better. On a more personal basis."

I smiled and looked down at my hand in his.

"Please say you're available this weekend to have lunch with me," he looked at me with pleading eyes. "You name the time and place, and I'll make sure I'm there."

I bit my lip as I contemplated my answer.

"What about Sunday at 3:00 p.m. and instead of lunch, we'll just have a drink at a coffee shop."

* * *

**A/N **- I know a lot of you knew that he wouldn't end up being her doctor, because that meant they wouldn't be able to be together. If so...kudos, that's exactly where I was going. I did want to give him the chance for one-on-one time with her, so he would have the nerve to ask her out.

I'm thinking about doing some out-takes like a JPOV...what happened that night, getting inside his head, is that something that would interest you? If so, you might want to add me to Author Alerts. And I am on Twitter. heatherbanners is my twitter account, so follow me there if you'd like!

I am so sorry this update took so long, I am trying to get Twilight(ed) caught up with what we have here. Plus I moved and I should have let you know that was a possibility with the last chapter, but it didn't even cross my mind that I would be without internet for a little while.

I hope you enjoyed this last chapter, all the reviews have been fabulous! Also, let me tell you about a fic I found on twilight(ed) called Green Eyes and Lullabies. This story only has two chapters, but it already has me and over 100 other people hooked. Check it out!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine.

Thanks to Fred for being an awesome Beta & helping me with this story!

* * *

Previously

_"Bella, I won't always be consulting on your exams. You asked earlier about how often Addison and I both will take on the same patient and I responded never, because we've never done it before. I chose to let Addison take you on as a patient, because after I saw you last month, I was hoping to get to know you better. On a more personal basis."  I smiled and looked down at my hand in his.  "Please say you're available this weekend to have lunch with me," he looked at me with pleading eyes. "You name the time and place, and I'll make sure I'm there."  I bit my lip as I contemplated my answer.  "What about Sunday at 3:00 p.m. and instead of lunch, we could just have a drink at a coffee shop."_

***

**BPOV**

I arrived at the Starbucks on the corner of 42nd street, with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step as Cami greeted me from behind the massive machine. I felt better than I had in months, I hadn't been having very bad morning sickness for several days in a row now and had found a renewed energy that I never dreamed I'd find again.

Instead of standing in line, like I usually did, I sat down at a table near the window where I would be able to see the door when Edward arrived in...oh, about 30 minutes, I concluded as I glanced at my watch.

He had given me the option to choose so many things about this "coffee date" that I didn't feel an ounce of nervousness. Everything up until this moment had been back and forth, give and take. I had chosen the time and what we would do, where we would meet, while he had initiated it by putting himself out there. It still baffled me that he would want to get to know me, even when he knew I was pregnant with someone else's child.

What a good looking doctor like Edward would even want in a pregnant woman was beyond me. I had seen the way women looked at one such as him in the movies, I knew how it all worked. He could have anybody he wanted, maybe he felt sorry for me after finding out about losing the father and that was his initial reasoning for this date. Although, he had said he had wanted to from the first time seeing me, which was over a month ago.

Regardless, I was going to make the most of my time with Dr. Cullen, Edward.

_Edward_, just as I thought his name, the bell above the door jingled. I looked up and was greeted with his crooked grin. He mouthed hi and motioned for me to join him in line.

We ordered our drinks, as Cami checked him out and winked at me. Taking our seats back at the table I had chosen for us, he held out my chair for me.

As I sat down, I felt him lean over my shoulder while he pushed in my chair.

"You look beautiful today, Bella." He whispered in my ear.

I turned to look at him and caught him glancing at Cami behind the counter, where she stood staring open-mouthed at us. Apparently we had an audience.

Since Edward hadn't been paying attention, he missed the fact that I had turned to look at him. So, when he went to kiss me on the cheek, he caught the corner of my mouth instead.

His head shot back and he blinked several times, surprise evident on his face because of what just happened. I reached up and lightly slapped his cheek a few times, before dragging the back of my hand against his stubble.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Dr. Cullen," I teased.

He chuckled and took his seat, taking a sip of his coffee.  "So, how have you been feeling?" Edward asked.

"Pretty good I suppose. You know, feeling tired all the time, the morning sickness that's NOT in the morning." He seemed amused at my next statement.  "Why is it called morning sickness? I mean, I get it all day long."

He laughed, "Well Bella, the technical medical term is 'nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.' For some women the symptoms are more severe in the morning. Hence the name Morning sickness. Sorry it's been so rough on you."

"Well it's rough, but nothing I can't handle."

"Bella, I don't want you to think that I do this kind of thing often. In fact this is my first time."

"Do what?" I asked. That seemed to come out of nowhere.

He seemed a little fidgety when he answered, "Use my career to pick up girls."

I burst out in laughter. "No Edward, I never thought that. I don't know what it is, but I seem drawn to you. I feel like, I can be myself."

"Good! I just wanted to let you know. Ever since the first time I saw you at the scheduling desk back at the hospital, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."

_He couldn't stop thinking about me. This Adonis of a man couldn't stop thinking about me._ I haven't ever heard words so beautiful in my life.

"So you can either tell me about yourself, or we could play 20 questions?" he teased.

"Oh, I like the 20 questions, this way it's not all about me. Anyway my life is an open book. Ask away Dr. Cullen."

Edward: "What is your favorite color?"

Bella: "Green. My turn, What's your favorite kind of food?"

Edward: "Italiano."

Our conversation continued like that and continued to flow smoothly. We discussed everything from families, to jobs and what the future held for each of us, separately. While I dreamed and contemplated what it could hold for us together. I learned about his parents, Carlisle and Esme. Apparently, his dad Carlisle worked with him at the hospital and had been a factor when Edward had chosen to go into medicine. While his mom worked in the interior design field. She held joint ownership with his future brother-in-law in the architecture and interior design firm, Cullen Hale Inc. Which is how his sister had met her fiance Jasper. She had been a blossoming fashion designer when she met and fell head-over-heels in love with the southern gentleman. After a short courtship, and a brief trip back to Texas to visit his family this past Spring, he had popped the question and they were set to be married later this Fall. He also had an older brother Emmett, who was married to his high school sweetheart, Rosalie. They had both been successful in their twenty's but had chosen to start a family when Rose ended up pregnant a couple years ago. Emmett had retired from the New York Yankee's last year and had recently opened up his own business. I hadn't shared much more than where I was from and what brought me out here. Nothing in my life had been exciting until lately, I had always considered myself rather plain.

All of a sudden he turned serious, and said, "Bella. I really like you and I would like to get to know you more. I want to see you again too. Is that OK with you?"

Did he just ask me out again? _Happy Dance on the inside!_ I casually replied "Yes, I would like that too."

"OK, do you mind if I get a little more personal?" he asked.  I had no idea how we could get more personal than we had already, but I was willing to tell him just about anything.

"Edward, I'm an open book. What would you like to know?"

"The other day you told me that your baby's dad is dead, would you mind me asking, were you in love with him?"

**EPOV **

As soon as the words left my mouth, I cringed. But before I even had a chance to apologize, the bell on the door chimed and I heard my name being yelled across the coffee shop.

"Edward!" It was my sister, Alice. She had Rosalie in tow and they were carrying their signature stack of magazines.

"Oh my gosh, what are you doing in this part of town?" she squealed. "Oh, this is so exciting, now you can help Rose and I pick out the gifts for the groomsmen!" My sister clapped her hands vigorously as she walked towards me. I cold tell the moment she noticed Bella.

Before I even had a chance to answer her, she continued with her barrage of questions.

"Oh. Who's this?" she asked with a sweet, sly smile. I groaned and stood to introduce her, but Bella beat me to it.

"Hi, you must be Alice," she smiled at my sister as she stood to shake her hand. "I'm Bella Swan, it's so nice to meet you. Would you like to join us?"

She asked as she glanced at me and smiled sweetly. Alice flicked her eyes towards me and I mouthed later with a slight shake of my head.

"Hi Bella." As Alice shook her hand, she tugged on her arm and enveloped her in a hug.

"It's nice to meet you too, but Rose and I really have a lot of boring, wedding stuff to do."

I knew how hard it was for her to refer to wedding planning as boring, and that's why I loved my sister even more. For as selfish as she seemed at first, she had a big heart and would do anything for me.

We calmly said our goodbyes, and stood to leave as Alice and Rose got in line. Rose never said a word, and only had a knowing smile on her face, when Alice used the word boring. Other than that, her expression remained neutral. She was always very hard to read unless Emmett was with her, he really did seem to bring out the best in her.

I wasn't ready to part with Bella. So, when we made it outside I just followed her lead as she headed around the corner.

"So, that was your sister and sister-in-law, Alice, and Rose?"

I nodded. "Yeah, they are working together to plan Alice's wedding that's coming up in October."

"I love weddings in the fall. Did you know that October is the second most popular month to get married? Only falling behind June, which is when everybody seems to get married."

She stopped our casual stroll in front of a building that resembled luxury apartments.

"Edward, I've had a wonderful time with you this afternoon," she paused and I knew our time had come to an end.

"Me too," I agreed. "I'd love to see you again." She blushed and ducked her head, but not before I lifted her chin with my fingers so I could look into her eyes.

"Would it be alright if I called you this week, maybe sometime tomorrow to see when we could get together again. I'd love to take you to dinner and show you a side of New York, I'm sure you haven't seen yet."

"I'd love that. I'm usually available after 5:30 in the evening, but feel free to call me anytime."

She wrote down her number for me and as she placed the small piece of paper in the palm of my hand, I could feel the electricity flowing between us. There was something about this beautiful woman and I didn't know what it was, but I had a feeling that my journey to discovering her would be full of greatness. She turned to go but stopped and looked back at me.

"Edward, remember that question you asked me earlier?"

_How could I forget?_ That had been on my mind since she'd first told me a few days ago.

"Yeah, I'm so sorry, I -"

"Don't be," she interrupted. She looked down shyly, as she was turning back around and said, "The answer is, No."

I was finally able to breath again.

* * *

**AN** - OK, there you have it. Hope you liked their coffee date. We found out lots of things and maybe left you with ?'s. You can always PM me or leave it in your review!

I wanted to thank everyone that came out of the shadows or found this story on twilight(ed) and reviewed the HELL out of it! It makes my heart so happy to know you look forward to this story! Special shout outs to my girls Jessica1971, MasenCullen,Teacher1209, Kassiah when you found out I had written a fic you came over here and not only read it but reviewed every freakin' chapter! Seriously babes...I puffy heart you HARD! If I forgot somebody, I am so sorry :(

I'm working on starting a thread for this story to get the banner and the blinky (ElizabethMasen was the first to put it in her sig, thx BB)

Fic Rec, what is Pwning me this week. It would definitely be Green Eyes & Lullabies by DandyVamp I have been pmping the sh*t out of that story. AND Bella and the Geek by RebeccaKay. Both on twilight(ed).

OH & check out Never Think by ilsuocantante she won the Love through Lemons contest and her One Shot is pure poetry.

Goodnight and leave me loves! Mwah~


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine.

A/N - So, I'm very glad that a lot of you were so pleased with the last chapter! Especially with the way I ended it. I do like a good cliffy, but just didn't feel like I could leave you (or Edward) hanging.

Before we get started, I have one VERY important person to thank…Stavanger1 has taken on this story to beta and has already done so much with even just the two chapters I sent her . I am so grateful for her willingness, generosity and excitement.

Also, a big thanks to my partner in crime Fred/Tara. There's more at the end.

* * *

_Previously_

_She wrote down her number for me and as she placed the small piece of paper in the palm of my hand, I could feel the electricity flowing between us. There was something about this beautiful woman and I didn't know what it was, but I had a feeling that my journey to discovering her would be full of greatness. She turned to go but stopped and looked back at me. "Edward, remember that question you asked me earlier?"__How could I forget?__ That had been on my mind since she'd first told me a few days ago._

_"Yeah, I'm so sorry, I -"_

_"Don't be," she interrupted. She looked down shyly, as she was turning back around and said, "The answer, is No."_

_I was finally able to breathe again._

**BPOV**

Monday morning came much sooner than I had hoped. I had spent much of Sunday psyching myself out before my "date" with Edward, but when he arrived I was able to see how well we fit and everything I had been worried about drifted away. It was comforting how naturally our conversation flowed, and I never wanted that to end.

I still felt like I had butterflies in my stomach. I had learned so much more about him yesterday than I had expected to. It was like neither of us could stop talking and yet, I could have listened to his voice forever. He had promised he'd call and I felt like I was a giddy teenager back in middle school, waiting for my boyfriend to call me just so I could hear his voice and we could talk until the wee hours of the evening.

_Swoon_.

Sitting at my desk I tried to focus on the Jenks' project that was currently frying my brain when Lauren appeared beside my desk.

"Bella, there's a delivery for you at the reception desk."

"Thanks, but why didn't someone just call me?" I asked.

"Ugh, because I needed a break. You should just be thankful somebody sent you flowers," Lauren huffed as she walked away.

_Flowers? Who would send me flowers__?_ I pondered as I glanced across the desk to see Angela, a twinkle in her eye.

"Who would be sending you flowers, Bella?" Angela asked. I actually had no clue, I racked my brain trying to think of anybody I had done something for that might be sending me a thank you. Although, Mike had sent me a small bouquet last week, when I reached the two month mark.

"The only person I can think of would be Mike; he sent me some last week. Maybe he's going to be doing something every week for me."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he's Mike, and I do happen to be pregnant," I said, starting to feel a little testy.

"Or they could be from Dr. Cullen," she mused.

"Oh my gosh! You're right. I can't believe that didn't cross my mind," I squealed, standing up and heading towards the elevator.

Angela ran to catch up with me and made it just as the doors were closing. I didn't know what to say, I was so anxious to see who they were from. I would have even taken the stairs if I didn't tire so easily lately. Plus, I was a little afraid of how my pregnancy had seemed to start affecting my balance. Not that I could have been described as graceful before, but I had certainly been much lighter on my feet than I felt now.

The numbers on the elevator dinged as we continued our descent. Finally, we reached the first floor and the door opened, and I pushed my way through the people waiting to get on. Why couldn't they just step aside until the elevator cleared? I never understood the logic in blocking the way like that. If they were going to get on, we needed to get off first.

My thoughts were quickly redirected when I spotted the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers I had ever seen. The closer I got the more colors I could see. There were bright pink daisies, red roses, yellow sunflowers or daffodils, and flowers I didn't even recognize in shades of blue, violet and green. I was mesmerized as I reached for the card nestled close to the large vase holding the flowers, eager to see who they were from.

_Bella, I had such a wonderful afternoon yesterday, and eagerly await what's yet to come. I am counting the hours, which makes me feel like such a boy with a crush, because I can't wait to hear your voice again. Until __evening._

Always,

_Edward_

"Wow," I heard Angela whisper; she was reading the card over my shoulder.

"I know."

"So this is what you spent yesterday with?"

"Nope, this is only _part_ of what I spent yesterday afternoon with," I clarified.

"Well, let's get them carried up to your desk so everyone will know you have a new man. What do ya say?"

I laughed and followed her back to the elevator.

The rest of the day was even harder for me to get through. I couldn't quit reading too much into every little detail that was on that card. Did _Until evening_ mean that he would call me tonight? And if so, why didn't he just say until this evening?

I wish I would have asked for his number instead of only giving him mine. I would have to wait, patiently, for him to call me.

It was close enough to five that I decided it was time to pack up my things. Knowing I would either have to carry the flowers home or take a cab, I decided to just leave them here for the duration of the week. They would hopefully be able to bring a smile to my face whenever I looked at them; I never knew when my frustrations would surface at work. Who was I kidding, of course they would bring a smile to my face.

I placed the last of my sketches into a folder and went to toss it in my tote when I heard the distinct sound of my phone vibrating on the desk. I lunged for it but not before Angela caught my quick movement and snickered.

"Hello," I answered quickly.

"Bella." I couldn't help but sigh as I heard his voice. _Edward._

"Edward." I didn'tknow what was wrong with me. The first word out of my mouth was his name, and that was it. I felt like that was enough for me, I didn't need any more conversation than that for now. Just hearing his voice was enough.

"I know you said five thirty but I just couldn't wait any longer. How was your day?"

"It was fine. I'm glad you called. I was just packing up, getting ready to head home and debating what to do with this gorgeous bouquet of flowers someone sent me." I giggled. I left the flowers sitting on my desk and headed for home while we continued our conversation.

"Hmmm, and who might have sent those? Would it perhaps be the gentleman you so willingly graced with your presence yesterday?"

"Why yes," I laughed. "Thank you Edward, they're beautiful. Did you get to see them, or did you call the order in?"

"I didn't get to see them, but I know that flower shop can do arrangements that are literally works of art."

"Well, they certainly are. I took a picture of them, I'll be sure to send it to you so you can see just how vibrant all the colors were together. Really, Edward, I don't think I can say it enough; thank you, they're beautiful. I was completely shocked when Lauren showed up and said I had flowers on my desk. Mike had sent me some just last week so I thought they might be from him again."

I could have sworn I heard Edward growling as I finished my explanation.

"Edward, is everything alright?"

"Who's Mike?" He asked in a rougher tone than I'd ever heard him use before.

"He's a friend of mine. He was there the night I found out I was pregnant, so he feels like he has that connection with me."

And the growling seemed to get louder.

"Edward, seriously. Are you near a dog right now? Because I hear something that sounds like growling."

"No, I'm just standing here in the elevator right now. Maybe it's the mechanics or something."

Our phone conversation flowed just as smoothly as the few we'd had in person, but after a little bit more teasing he had to get back to his shift.

*****

I didn't hear from Edward on Tuesday, he had mentioned that his work schedule was going to be pretty busy, so I was definitely hoping for a call today. I sent him a picture of the flowers, including one of me next to the flowers, Angela thought it'd be a nice little treat, and I was excited to see what he thought of the extra image.

He finally called around five fifteen, when I was almost home, and I had just passed the Pizza place that Angela and I frequent, when a craving hit.

"Man, I could really go for some pizza right now. I just passed Bella Vita's and they have the best mushroom lovers a girl could ask for. Maybe throw on a little bit of sausage and a few pieces of pepperoni, no make that a lot of pepperoni...yeah, that would be so good right now. I'll have to go home and see what Ang wants for dinner. Sorry, didn't mean to go off on you like that."

He laughed, "that's fine, Bella. I think it's cute. Makes me feel like I'm there with you. What would you be drinking with this pizza? And just for fun, what would you follow with for dessert?"

"Hmmm…" I had to ponder this for a minute. Normally I would probably have a beer or some sort of light alcohol but that was a definite no no. As for the dessert, I licked my lips just thinking about the chocolatey gooey mess that could be made with a New York Cheesecake.

"Bella," he sighed. I didn't think I could ever tire of hearing him say my name.

"Sorry, Edward, my imagination was getting away with me. I was just trying to come up with an adequate answer. I'd probably just have water, I think I finished all the caffeine free soda at our house. And the dessert, can I have anything I want?" I asked.

"Sure, Beautiful," he chuckled. "You can have whatever you want."

"Alright, I would want a classic New York Cheesecake smothered in chocolate fudge. Maybe even sprinkle on a few raspberries, some chocolate shavings and a dollop of whipped cream."

**EPOV**

She laughed. I could listen to her for days if she were to continue like this. All needy and pregnant, I could feel my crotch starting to move at attention. I never imagined something so simple could affect me like this. It could have been the fact that I could hear the sighs, the giggles and when she would lick her lips,  
_ungh_, what I wouldn't give to help her with those cravings and any more she might have....what I wouldn't give to help her with those cravings, she could even help me with mine.

I suppose I could do just that. When she started talking about pizza, I had been thinking it would be easy to mentally catalog what she liked so I could surprise her with it some day. I wondered if I could swing it tonight.

Instead of walking home I quickly hailed a cab and pointed him towards 42nd street. I'd just pick up the pizza when I got there, but that meant I'd have to cut things short with Bella so she didn't get suspicious.

"Oh goody," she said as I heard laughter in the background. "Mike's here."

"He's there?"

"Yeah, he must have something going on this weekend. He usually calls first, unless it's a last minute thing. Maybe he'll be able to help me out with my cravings."

"Bella…" I tried not to sound too enraged, but on the inside my heart was pounding and I was starting to sweat. I wanted to be the one she asked to get her stuff. I wanted to become the guy she called when she got all emotional and couldn't seem to form a coherent thought. After hearing her go on and on over the phone, I couldn't imagine being the lucky bastard that Mike is, when he gets to sit in the room and watch her pink tongue dart out and lick her pouty lips.

"Bella, would you mind doing me a favor?" I had to think fast. What would keep her occupied until I got there?

"Sure, Edward, what did you need me to do? Angela and Mike are in the midst of what appears to be a very deep discussion about the Friends episode that's on, so I think I've got some time."

"Well…" Man, I couldn't think. I had nothing, nothing to keep her busy while I ordered the pizza and went in search of the perfect cheesecake.

"Bella, did you have a long day at the office today? It's completely normal during your first trimester to tire easily."

She sighed, "yeah. Now that you mention it, I am kinda tired but I am too wound up to go to sleep."

"Can I make a suggestion?"

"Sure. You do know best," she giggled into the phone.

"Well, my sister-in-law, Rose, is pregnant. In fact, I think you both are pretty close in your terms. Well, she can be a little testy when she gets tired. In fact she is down right cranky. When she gets too much for him to handle, Emmett draws her a nice warm bubble bath with candles and just lets her "simmer." Emmett's words not mine." She continued to laugh.

"So why don't you go and take a bubble bath? Just sit there for a while and relax."

"Mmmm, that does sound nice. I think I'll take you up on that suggestion."

I hoped this would buy me a little bit of time.

"Alright, well, I'm going to get off the phone so I can relax for the evening. You want me to call you later? After I get out?"

"Sure, I'm just headed to dinner so I'll be available."

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon."

"Alright, Beautiful. I'll talk to you later," I said as I hung up the phone and immediately used it to find the number for Bella Vita's.

It turned out that they also sold the kind of cheesecake she described. Now the only other thing I needed was to stop somewhere else for Caffeine Free soda.

It didn't take me long to gather all the provisions, pick up the pizza and the cheesecake, before I was walking up to her building. I walked through the front doors into the entryway and was amazed. How Bella could manage to afford a place like this was amazing. I knew she was fresh out of school, but I suppose having a room mate would cut the costs in half. I'd never wanted a room mate, growing up in a house with Emmett and Alice had been enough to deter me from seeking one out in college. Especially now that I was almost thirty, I couldn't imagine sharing my home with someone else. Although, I found the more time I spent with Bella, I was beginning to imagine how different it might be if I had a girlfriend or fiancée living with me.

Walking up to the front desk, I noticed a man behind the counter who was apparently sizing me up.

"Hello," I said. "I'm here to see Bella and Angela."

"Are they expecting you?"

I shook my head no while he reached for the phone. Before he could dial, he noticed someone behind me. "Good evening, Angela. This gentleman said he's here to visit you and Ms Swan."

Angela wasn't alone. The man with her must be Mike. The relief I felt knowing that he wasn't with Bella was overwelming.

I didn't have to introduce myself to Angela, she seemed to know who I was.

"Dr. Cullen?" she asked me with a coy smile.

"Yes, and you must be Angela?"

"Yes. It's so great to finally meet you. Was Bella expecting you?"

"No, Angela she wasn't and _that_ is part of my plan. I was hoping to surprise her."

She noticed the pizza and smiled. "She is going to love you!"

That was the other part of my plan, but I didn't share_ that_ with Angela.

"You can go on up," she said "Our apartment is four oh three. Mike and I were just heading out to get a bite to eat and catch a movie. Have a good time, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

I grabbed the food, waved a quick goodbye and hopped on the elevator. Luckily it didn't make any stops at another floor, so it only took me a couple of minutes to reach their door.

I walked the few steps from the elevator to their apartment. I stood there a few seconds, saying a little prayer that what I was doing wouldn't catch her too off guard.

I knocked and waited. After what seemed like forever to me, but was probably just a minute, I heard Bella through the other side of the door.

"Hold on, Ang. What, did you forget something?" She opened the door only dressed in a dainty white bathrobe, a white towel wrapped on top of her head.

The stunning, natural beauty before me took my breath away. At first it seemed like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Then slowly her eyes twinkled and she started to smile the smile I'd already begun to fall in love with.

"Edward?" she asked me shyly. "This is a wonderful surprise! I thought you were headed to dinner."

I chuckled, "I was, with you. And to be completely honest here, Bella, I just couldn't wait to see you again, and your mention of pizza was the perfect reason to stop by."

"You brought me pizza?" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around my midsection for a brief hug before grabbing my hand and leading me through the door, towards the kitchen.

She turned to me and then noticed the other goodies I brought for her.

"Edward Cullen, not only did you bring me pizza but you brought me a chocolate raspberry delight cheesecake?"

Generally I'm pretty good at reading a person's expression, and am then able to tell what they are thinking, but Bella had me completely stumped. I stood there waiting for her reaction to the pizza and the cheesecake, not knowing what was coming. To tell the truth, I found the whole encounter completely and utterly adorable.

"You are absolutely wonderful!!" She squealed before she took a piece of the cheesecake, taking a large bite. And it was precisely the reaction I had been hoping for.

"I guess it has to be your whole doctor thing. You must know that when a woman says she is craving pickles and ice cream she'd better get it."

I laughed, "not really, Bella. I haven't ever been involved when a woman has a craving. I've only been around for the medical stuff."

I reached for a slice just as she was and my hand brushed hers, causing her finger to drag across the chocolate. She pulled her hand back to her mouth to suck the sauce from her index finger.

"You go ahead," she teased.

I just stood there, watching her perfectly manicured finger being cleaned by her tongue. She had no idea what she was doing to me.

"Edward? Hello, Earth to Edward," She waved her hand in front of my face. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking how I should have probably picked up some bread sticks." _Good save Cullen_.

She grabbed the box and walked over to the couch. I grabbed a couple of drinks and followed behind her.

**BPOV**

Tonight had been the single best night of my life; it definitely topped anything that had happened since I'd moved to New York. When Edward had shown up and all I was wearing was my bathrobe, with a towel on my head, I was mortified. But the smile on his face had been enough to keep me from freaking out and running to change into something cuter. I had changed before we got too deep into a discussion, once I'd remembered that I was still in my bathrobe. We ate pizza while we talked, after the cheesecake of course. The whole evening went by way too fast. The time I was dreading was coming and something inside me wanted to ask him to stay just a little longer, but I knew he wouldn't do that.

"Well, I guess I have kept you long enough so I think I will let you get going."

I wanted him to stay longer, but I reluctantly stood up and walked him to the door. "You did it again, you know."

"Did what?" he asked.

"You gave me, an unforgettable evening."

"You don't know how much I wanted to hear that from you, Bella." He paused. "I was wondering if you'd give me another chance to do it again?"

"Edward, are you asking me out, again?"

"I wouldn't necessarily say again, Bella," he laughed. "Although I have loved spending any amount of time with you that I can, I would consider this next date our first 'real' date."

_Sigh, he used air quotes._

"That is, if you'd like," he continued.

_Yes!_ I was reeling on the inside but instead of attacking him I just gave him a big grin, hoping to convey that I was happy with this development.

When he showed up at my door this, evening with pizza and cheesecake, I couldn't belive my eyes. Then, finding out that he did all of that for me made me almost bubble over with excitement. I didn't know if I would be able to contain it, if he kept it up.

"Edward, of course. I would love to go out with you." I paused. "On a 'real' date," I giggled.

"Really?" he asked. "Excellent! So tell me, Bella, how do you feel about, baseball?"

* * *

**A/N - **The most important people I could thank are YOU! The readers and especially the reviewers, every single one of you that leave me a review make me want to keep writing this story. Without all of you I wouldn't have reached over 100 reviews with the last chapter! So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

NOW, in case you hadn't heard there's a thread that I started for this story over on the forums (link on my profile) AND I should let you know that Dr. Cullen stopped by to answer some questions that reviewers left. We also have fun, looking at random, YUMMY, pictures of Rob, keeping up with Bella's pregnancy (a fun tracker I added) and checking out the outfits that our characters wear.

If you have a ? for Dr. Cullen that you'd like to see him answer, leave it in your review and then hop on over to the thread to see his answers.

Make sure you have me on alert if you're interested in reading the JPOV out-take; I'll be posting that soon. Leave me love…


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine.

Of course, I have to take the time to thank my awesome beta who soon is on her way to meet up with some of her TwiFF girlies, *squee* I am totes jealous! Stavanger1 has been one of the best things to happen to this story, so thank you bb! If you haven't checked out her stuff, DO IT! She's got a lovely little Angst fic **Guarding My Life** and one that's not so Angsty **The How to Guide.**

**Surprisingly, this one's a little longer. Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Previously**_

_"Edward, of course. I would love to go out with you." I paused. "On a 'real' date," I giggled._

_"Really?" he asked. "Excellent! So tell me, Bella, how do you feel about, baseball?"_

_**********_

**EPOV**

_Friday__._ After I'd left Bella's apartment I realized I had been so excited about asking her on the date I completely forgot to mention that the game was this Friday. The Chicago Cubs were coming to town and I never missed a game. I'd watched Emmett play with the Yankees for years, hardly ever missing a home game. But being a Chicago native, I couldn't ever completely abandon my team.

The hardest part about my love for the Cubs was keeping it a secret. I had to be specifically inconspicuous if and when they ever played the Yankees, especially while Emmett was still on the roster.

I called Bella on my way home to make sure I had, in fact, mentioned that the game was Friday. I also reminded her to dress comfortably, knowing that whatever she chose to wear she would still be gorgeous.

I couldn't get over my luck! Just a couple months ago I had been hoping to find something meaningful, someone that could possibly complete me like I had seen happen to every single member of my family. After the first time I'd spoken with Bella, I felt like my life might have finally taken the road that would lead me there.

Time seemed to drag from the moment I left Bella's apartment until I arrived on Friday evening to pick her up. We had talked briefly on Thursday and she mentioned that she didn't know too much about baseball, just what she'd heard when her dad would watch the Mariners' on TV.

Hearing her mention her father I began to wonder why, when I talked so openly about my parents and the rest of my family, she barely mentioned hers. Had something happened between them? Was there something that had driven them apart? If I wanted to get to know Bella on a much more intimate level I felt I needed to know the basis of where she came from. And I needed to know sooner rather than later.

Thinking about where she came from brought my thoughts to the child she was carrying, a child created with another man. A man that was no longer here… I'd heard of men that found their wives when they were raising a young child as a single mom, willingly accepting them as their own and eventually adopting them legally. _Was I a big enough man to do that if our relationship continued?_ It was something I seriously needed to think about, and I needed to make a decision before I got too attached to Bella.

_You're already too attached to her, don't kid yourself. From the moment you laid eyes on her at the hospital, you were lost. You were already drowning in the feelings that would soon develop for the beautiful brunette. _

Aaahhh, what would I do without that inner dialog?

I had left work early this morning in hopes that the sooner I got to Bella, the sooner our date would start. I knew she'd had to ask off at noon so she would be ready when I arrived to pick her up. I planned on taking her to the souvenir shop before the game so she could be decked out in Cubs' attire. What I wouldn't give to see her wearing my teams' jersey… Plus, we'd match since I was wearing my favorite pair of jeans, with the whole in the knee, and my blue Cubs imitation jersey and my Nikes.

Walking through the doors of Bella's building, I nodded my head at Tyler as he waved me on up. This time the elevator didn't move as fast, stopping at the second floor to let on two little old ladies that were gossiping about the latest sex scandal taking place in Hollywood.

I finally made it to the fourth floor and found Bella's apartment door already ajar. Not knowing what I might find behind the door, I nudged it open further and was surprised to find no activity inside. There were remnants of what looked to be lunch on the counter but I didn't see, nor could I hear, anybody in the apartment. I headed down the hall towards Bella's room when I heard the door shut and someone walk around, whistling. Turning back around, I was greeted with the sight of Bella, decked out in a Cubs shirt that was probably made for a small child, a pair of well worn jeans and chucks the same shade of red as her shirt.

I cleared my throat, causing her to spin around and bring her hand to her chest.

"Edward," she gasped. "I didn't even hear you come in. Why didn't you knock?"

"Perhaps because your door was already open and no one was inside?"

She looked at me sheepishly. "Oh, yeah, our uh, neighbor needed some help with her internet and I didn't even think about closing the door when I rushed over there."

"Hmph, well next time just close the door, anybody could have just walked in here, Bella."

She sighed and I could see her bottom lip start to tremble right before she pulled it between her teeth, attempting to keep herself from crying. I walked around the counter, moving closer to her, and brought her into my arms.

"Hey, come here. I didn't mean to make you cry, I just don't want anything happening to you or the the baby," I said, bringing my hand down to her stomach and sticking my fingers inside the waistband of her jeans, slightly brushing her small baby bump with them. She shuddered.

I placed two fingers under her chin so she'd look at me. I watched as the tears streaked down her face, and brushed my thumb across her cheek to wipe them away.

"I know. I'm sorry, Edward. It's just a lot to deal with all these emotions. One minute I'm happy as a clam and the next, I'm bawling my fucking eyes out or pissed off at the person that didn't hold the damn elevator for me."

"That's how it's supposed to be," I chuckled.

She smacked me on the chest. "Don't laugh at me, you're the one that made me cry you big jerk," she teased with a smile.

"Well, we have a baseball game to get to… and I never got to tell you how hot you look in that Cubs shirt."

"You didn't, huh?" she teased, raising an eyebrow at me.

I shook my head while pushing her hair back ,and dipped my head down to kiss her neck. "Well, you look...hot, Bella. I'm already imagining you in a jersey and nothing else," I whispered.

I grabbed her hand as she stood there stunned, and brought it to my lips, giving it a quick kiss.

"Come along Love, we don't want to be late. Do you need to grab anything before we go?" I asked as I lead her towards the door.

She shook her head, grabbed her key off the counter and locked the door behind us. Placing my hand at the small of her back, I ushered her towards the elevator.

Stepping on, she surprised me by wrapping her arm around my waist and leaning her head against my chest for the ride down. I kissed the top of her head and suddenly realized that to anybody watching we appeared to be a couple. A couple, I liked the sound of that. When the doors opened and we stepped off, Bella went to pull away but I just draped my arm around her shoulders and held on tight.

**********

The Mets Citi Field wasn't my favorite baseball field in town. It just didn't feel like home to me the way Yankees stadium did. Things had just felt off the few times I had attended a game there, especially since I usually came by myself. However, today I was walking up to the park with Bella with one arm wrapped around her waist, the envy of every guy that watched her walk by.

The game passed quickly and before I knew it, it was the bottom of the ninth. Bella and I had been shamelessly flirting all afternoon, with little touches here and there. I had big plans for this evening, I just hoped that she'd be able to enjoy herself.

I had asked my mom what her first date with dad had been like. She sprouted off some non-sense about going to the state fair, getting to be all kinds of silly with him and then, when it was all over with, they shared their first kiss at the top of the ferris wheel. While I couldn't go kissing Bella on the top of a ferris wheel, I most certainly _could_ finish this evening off with a kiss.

Bella brought me back from my wondering thoughts when she placed her hand on my thigh and gave it a light squeeze. I looked to my right and saw that a guy a few seats over was looking at us. I used my right arm that was resting on the back of her seat to bring her closer to me so I could whisper in her ear.

"Is that pervy old man the reason you are massaging my thigh?" I asked. "Not that I mind," I teased with a grin.

She shook her head no and moved her hand further up my thigh. The Cubs were up to bat so I turned my attention back towards the field, hoping she wouldn't be able to tell how she was affecting me. Although, I'm pretty sure my dick would alert her as she moved closer.

**BPOV**

I continued to move my hand up his thigh in long, slow strokes. I was mere inches from his crotch when I saw something out of the corner of my eye heading straight for us, well not us, but Edward. I didn't have enough time to react before I witnessed a fly ball hit Edward smack in the middle of his forehead. I jumped up, concerned with the knot that had already started to form, and started inspecting the bump, leaning over him to get a better look.

"Where's the ball?" he muttered.

"What?" I asked. Thinking he must be delirious.

"The ball!" He tried to move out from under me but I had shifted from standing to straddling his lap to keep him from squirming.

"Edward, you need to stay still, please," I said and grabbed his face with both my hands for emphasis. He finally focused his attention on me and noticed that I was sitting in his lap. As he too placed his hands on my face our eyes locked. My heart felt like it was going to beat out my chest, having gone from zero to sixty in no time at all. He leaned in and I just knew he was going to kiss me.

He brought my face to his and brushed his lips against mine. His lips were soft, the kiss light, a simple peck. Sadly, the kiss seemed to be over before it had begun.

"Breathe, Beautiful," he whispered against my lips.

I exhaled and brought his face towards mine, kissing along his jaw towards his ear.

"I think it's time to leave," I said as I gently bit down on the fleshy part of his ear lobe.

He wrapped his arms around me and stood up. I clung to him, throwing my arms around his neck and wrapping my legs around his waist so he wouldn't drop me.

"Edward Cullen, put me down." He shook his head. "You're the one with a big old goose egg, I don't think you should be exerting yourself," I reminded him.

"Please, Bella," he scoffed. "I can't even feel it."

"That's because it's numb, you big dork. Just put me down so we can leave."

He set me on my feet and turned to walk away. I hoped I hadn't upset him, and was reassured when he reached back, grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the exit.

**EPOV**

Walking out of Citi Field, I had a huge smile on my face. I probably looked like the happiest schmuck on the planet right now. Someone take a picture of me and use it in an advertisement, because you're not going to find a smile bigger than the one on my face. I hadn't been expecting to kiss her until I walked her home, but the way it happened was spontaneous and perfect. The feel of her straddling me, the concern I saw in her eyes as she looked me over, and the possessive way she grabbed my face, the moment just seemed too opportune to waste.

Exiting the stadium, I could hear the crowd cheering, signaling that the Mets had won. We headed towards the line of cabs parked along the curb. Getting in, I gave the driver my address. My plan had been simple, we'd go to the game and then we'd finish the night at my apartment with a romantic picnic.

We hadn't been in the car very long when her cell phone rang. She glanced at it, then quickly looked at me. She answered on the third ring and began a one-sided conversation that would decide the fate of our evening.

"Hello?

"Jake? Jake, you need to slow down, I can't understand a word you're saying.

"Uh huh, yeah. What? Oh my God."

She started to tear up, and the further she got in to the conversation the more rattled she became. I placed my hand on her thigh and she reached down and gave it a squeeze as she looked at me.

"Jake, of course you're more than welcome to come stay with me. But, don't I need to come there and help you and my mom get things handled for the funeral? You bet your ass I'm going to make it. I can't imagine not saying goodbye to him.

"Okay, yeah...I'll book the flight tonight, when I get home. Thanks, Jake. Yes, she needs you more than I can even imagine right now, especially since I wont be able to be there until tomorrow at the earliest…

I know, look I'm kind of in the middle of something right now. I'm going to let you go so I can get things situated here. Alright, I'll call you later. Bye Jake."

She hung up the phone and rested her head on the headrest. I didn't want to intrude but it was killing me to not know the details of that converstaion. I knew our night had been cut short, but as I leaned up towards the front of the cab she placed her hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"Edward, it's fine. Let's finish the evening just like you had planned, okay? As long as I can use your computer to book a flight then I don't need to go home right away. Besides," she sighed, "if I went home I'd just be all by myself. Ang has a date with Ben tonight, so she won't be home until tomorrow sometime."

I nodded my head, letting her know that I understood.

"Ok, we're almost there anyway. Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head and mouthed _'__later__'_before she turned her head to look out the window, effectively ending any further communication between us.

I knew we were less than five minutes from my place, but I didn't know how long I could last in the pressing silence surrounding us in the cab. I could hear the city life outside, the noisy horns as they blared amongst the evening traffic. Hearing the sounds of the bustling life on the outside, kept me focused on the motto that this too shall pass.

"My dad was shot in the line of duty today, and they don't think he's going to make it." I turned to look at her, but she was still staring out the window.

"Well, my step-dad. My biological dad died when I was little and my mom, Renee, she remarried his best friend, Billy, a few years later. He'd been on the police force with my dad and replaced him as chief after he died. He kinda took care of mom and I, became a stand in father figure before they got married. That was his son, my step brother Jake. He called to let me know so I could make arrangements with work, to make it back home for the funeral."

She stopped then, and I didn't know if she would continue. I knew I couldn't push her to tell me any more than she wanted so I just sat there, waiting. She didn't say another word, and as the cab pulled up to my building I wondered if that was all I would get tonight.

She opened her door and I scooted over to follow her out after paying the cab driver. She waited off to the side for me to open the front door of my building. Turning to her I motioned for her to go in before me, and she hesitated.

She looked down to the ground and I could see her carefully constructed wall crumble as her shoulders slumped and began so shake. With the hand that wasn't holding the door, I reached out and grabbed her dainty hand, covering it with mine and bringing her towards me. She walked through the door in front of me and I waited until we got inside the elevator to pull her against me; that's when the dam broke.

We arrived at my floor and instead of letting go of her to walk to my door, I bent down and scooped her up into my arms. She wrapped her arms around me and nuzzled her tear stained face into my neck. I struggled to get the keys in the door, trying not to jostle her as I pushed the door open, revealing the surprise I had waiting for her. I had known that I wanted to make this evening special. Sharing my passion for the Chicago Cubs had been the first part, but I had also been excited to show her what a freaking romantic sap I was. Just in case she had missed it in the blatant showing with the flowers, or with the pizza incident.

The living room was open with a picnic blanket sitting in the middle of the floor. The furniture had been pushed to the side and a couple indoor trees had been placed around the edges of the indoor meadow. I'd strung lights from the trees and created an oasis within the living room, perfect for our romantic picnic. I flipped the switch that would illuminate the living room and she gasped, bringing her hand to cover her mouth.

I reluctantly lowered her to the ground but quickly pulled her against me in a different manner. Wrapping my arms around her from the back and placing my hands on her stomach, I rested my chin on her shoulder.

"Oh Edward, it's perfect," she said as she shifted in my arms, turning to face me. She rested her delicate hands on the plane of my chest, pushing herself up on her toes and lightly brushed her lips against mine. Bringing my hand up, I threaded my fingers into her hair and deepened the kiss. Swiping my tongue across her bottom lip I was welcomed into the gates of heaven.

Kissing Bella was something I could do everyday for the rest of my life. I felt like I would no longer need the basic living essentials if I could just live off the divine taste and sweetness she offered. This kiss brought me closer to the conclusion I had been teetering on for a week now. I wanted us to take that final step and, now that we'd had our first date, make it official. I was fearful of bringing it up in lieu of the news she'd gotten, but I couldn't simply let her leave without knowing how my feelings were developing.

Reluctantly I pulled away, forcing myself to take things slow. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her over to sit on the floor where I had the picnic laid out.

After she was settled against the couch I grabbed the picnic basket and started setting out the food I had prepared this morning. There were deli sandwiches, raw veggies, fruit, cheese and chocolate fondue for dessert.

I started to hand her a sandwich when her phone rang from across the room, where she'd set her purse down.

"I'll get it," I said, as I hopped up to catch it.

She smiled at me and hollered, "thanks Edward."

Looking down I saw the name "Jake" pop up on the screen and I hoped he was calling with better news this time. I don't know if she can handle any more shock tonight. I handed her the phone as I sat back down next to her. I threw my arm around her shoulders, resting it against the couch, and absently played with strands of her hair.

"Hello?" she asked cautiously, knowing who it was but not knowing what she would find on the other end.

_Here we go with a one-sided conversation again__.__ I really wish I had super sensitive hearing so I wouldn't just have her side of things.  
_  
"Oh, no I haven't booked a flight yet. I haven't even looked Jake. I just got back to Edwards' and we sat down to eat." She paused.

"Well I'm sorry. I was on a date, if you must know. And...let me finish Jacob Black. Quit interrupting, it's not going to get you anywhere."

She nodded her head, silently urging him to continue when she smiled.

"That's awesome, oh my God. Really, they think he's going to be okay?" She turned to me and mouthed _'he's going to be okay__,__'_ her eyes twinkling.

"Jake, that's unbelievable news. No, I can't believe they didn't catch that with the initial consult. I'd love for you to come stay with me, but don't you think your dad needs you right now?

"I know… what? Why didn't you tell me you passed the initial application to become a Firefighter? Wait, why'd you put _my_ address? In New York? I had no idea you had even applied. Alright, well if the training and exams start this next week then I suppose there's nothing you can do about the timing. Does dad know? You booked your flight already? Well, just let me know when you'll be getting in, okay? I'll talk to you soon. Bye Jake."

She looked at me, still trying to process all the information that had been shared with her in just the last few minutes.

"Your brother again?" I asked.

Nodding her head she smiled and bit her lip, and she looked fucking adorable.

"He apparently has training or tests that start next week and he has to make it if he wants to be part of this draft for the fire department. You know how competitive that program is. I just can't believe he made it past the initial application. He's out of state, so he used my address, which is fine. He'll live with me until I have to move to another apartment and he can help me take care of the baby, I guess, if he gets accepted."

She smiled shyly at me and glanced down at her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry I'm rambling. I'm just on overload here. Apparently Billy is going to be fine. The life threatening bullet missed every major part of his anatomy." She shook her head, "I'm sorry I'm such a mess tonight. My emotions never seem to settle down, I don't know how long I'm going to be able to handle it."

I pulled her against me and gently pushed her head down onto my shoulder. Kissing the top of her head, I sighed.

"Bella, I think we need to talk."

She pulled away and looked up at me through her thick lashes. I could see the tears start to form, and her bottom lip quivered.

"It's nothing bad, Sweetheart. It's just everything that happened this evening, thinking you might be leaving for a couple days, got me thinking. I really don't want to see you leave without knowing where you stand in my life. Because, in the matter of only a week, you have managed to consume my every thought and I'd really like to see us take that next step and maybe have you meet my family."

"You...your family? But isn't that a little soon? I mean, I've already met your sister but I don't think she noticed my current pregnant state. But your entire family? Edward, we've only been on a few dates, we're not even a couple."

"That's the other thing I'd like to talk about. Would you like to see us be completely exclusive?"

"Shouldn't I be the one that brings shit like this up? Isn't the female generally the one worried about where this is going, and most likely already planning a future with a guy by this point?" She shook her head and laughed, causing me to see the hilarity of her statement. We really were unconventional.

"Yes. Generally, I suppose you're right. But Bella, nothing about our relationship has run along the typical path, in my opinion."

She had yet to answer my proposal that we be exclusive and I grew weary that either her answer would be no, or she'd not heard that I intended to start referring to her as my girlfriend if she'd let me.

"So, you keep thinking about whether you'd like us to be a couple. But even if you think it's too soon, I'd still like to take you to meet my family. We're having our annual Labor Day get together at my parents house on Staten Island and I know they'd like to meet you. Alice has already been asking me about you, and when I'm going to bring you to a family dinner."

I could see her eyes darting back and forth as she tried to make a decision. It was sheer agony waiting, and when I thought I wouldn't be able to take it anymore she smiled and nodded her head.

"Okay."

"Okay?" I asked. "To which one?"

"Both of them, but do you think they'll think less of me because of this?" she asked as she gestured to her stomach. I grabbed her hand and brought it to my chest as I chuckled.

"Bella, it's not as if we live in the bible belt. I'm sure they won't think anything of it. You're hardly showing anyway, and we can hold off telling them a little longer, if you'd like."

"Well, we'll just see how it goes. It might not even get brought up, unless one of _us_ brings it up. But Edward, I don't want to lie about it if someone asks how we met or whatever. It's fine. When is the main event?" she giggled. "Oh! I am also pretty sure Jake will be joining me because he thinks his flight gets in on Sunday."

"That's fine, Love, I can't wait to meet him. You're picking him up from the airport?" She nodded.

"Well, would you like some company?" I asked. "If I drive, we can take my car, plus it'd make me feel a little better that you aren't picking him up yourself if his plane gets delayed."

She gladly accepted my offer, but not before teasing that I was a little bit on the protective side. I just agreed with a smile and a nod, reaching out to run my hand back and forth across her belly, indicating why I might be so protective. Whatever problems had arose this evening were quickly forgotten as I told her a little about what to expect on Monday. How crazy my immediate family was and that there would probably be some close friends, and a few extended family members there as well.

Bella stayed until about ten o'clock when she reluctantly agreed that she was getting tired and needed to get home so she could get some sleep. Realizing that she might have a semi-permanent house guest showing up reminded her that she had some stuff to take care of before we went to pick him up on Sunday. I took her home and left her at her apartment door with a kiss and a promise that I'd call her tomorrow.

Leaving her building, I knew that tonight had been a milestone for me. Never before had I willingly offered to take a female home to meet my family as my girlfriend. Bella and I had had our first date, our first kiss and even dealt with a phone call that could have ruined our evening, but didn't. All around, I couldn't have chosen a better way to start our relationship, even if I'd planned it myself.

**

* * *

**

A/N

**You should know that my life seems to get crazier by the day :) So posts might slow down to once every 1.5 weeks instead of trying for one a week. Last week you got TWO...if you read the James outtake. Which had a great response, so thanks to those that read it, commented and voted!  
**

Okay, so what'd you think of the twists in this chapter huh? You thought her dad was Charlie didn't you...well in my story, Billy isn't in a wheel chair and I have a pic of how I see him on the threads, go check it out. Jess, I hope you're happy that Jake is her "brother" and not Mike's gay lover :) You'll get more of the back story in future chapters. If this confuses anybody, LMK in a PM or something, Okay?

FDNY - it's EXTREMELY difficult to get in to their program. I hope I at least conveyed that with a few of the ramblings Bella did for us.

_I cannot thank those of you that review enough. I hope the teaser you get for reviewing is enjoyed...I love hearing what everyone has to say._

_If you've been reading FF for a while and have some good ideas_, there's a fabulous contest going on over on LJ called Write What You Know. Link on my profile page, I can't wait to enter and see what everyone really "knows." In fact...the link is going to take you to the TwiFicCalendar/News...a fantastic little place that will let you know pretty much all the happenings that are currently going on in the fandom. If you've ever thought about writing a story and just haven't, you might look at entering a One Shot Contest, just to see if you'd like it :) I have a great idea I'm working on for the DILF contest...bwahaha.

What am I going to fic rec this week? *looks through my collection* I missed rec'ing last week :( How about - **I Get Off** by BritPackSuccubus - it's a hot and steamy little number! If you're looking more for Angst, I would check out **Make Me Believe** by bellasunderstudy1.

Leave me love! AND come visit the forums, I give out teasers :) I'm going to do something I haven't tried before, not that I'm not super excited about all the reviews, but I really want to help a reviewer out. So...the **51st review** I get will bring me up to 250 reviews, which makes my mouth drop to the floor, ANYWAYS...**the 51st review** will get to choose the **fic rec next chapter**!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine.

Thanks...this time they go to a few different people. To all the girls that do visit the forum and leave me love and let me know it's okay if I don't get you a chapter when I think I will...I seriously don't know what I would do without your encouragement :)

Also, I have a new beta this chapter...Jessica1971, thank you so much for stepping in at the last minute, and offering to be my beta for the remainder of this story. You are such a blessing to me and the other authors that you share your beta skills with!

I know you think my A/N's are long, and that's because they are and I can't shut up...**I got REC'd on The Fictionators Blog**, yay! Thanks Kassiah for the wonderful review, it totally made my day yesterday to see so many new alerts and some new reviewers :)

* * *

_Previously_

_Bella stayed until about ten o'clock when she reluctantly agreed that she was getting tired and needed to get home so she could get some sleep. Realizing that she might have a semi-permanent house guest showing up reminded her that she had some stuff to take care of before we went to pick him up on Sunday. I took her home and left her at her apartment door with a kiss and a promise that I'd call her tomorrow._

_Leaving her building, I knew that tonight had been a milestone for me. Never before had I willingly offered to take a female home to meet my family as my girlfriend. Bella and I had our first date, our first kiss and even dealt with a phone call that could have ruined our evening, but didn't. All around, I couldn't have chosen a better way to start our relationship, even if I'd planned it myself._

**BPOV**

_If I'm a bad person,_  
_You don't like me._  
_I guess I'll go,_  
_Make my own way._

I woke to the sounds of Paramore's new song blaring from my alarm. Rolling over, I slapped the snooze button with my left hand and just laid there as thoughts started swarming though my mind.

Yesterday had been a roller coaster, more so than any day I had since beginning my pregnancy. It was supposed to be a normal first date. Well, not normal, because it was with Edward, but it certainly shouldn't have been interrupted with a phone call about my dad being shot. I needed to call my mom today.

_Today_. I had so many things that I needed to do today since Jacob would be coming to stay with me.

I didn't know what I was going to do with him, he was such a pain in my ass most of the time. Or at least he had been when I'd lived at home. However, as annoying as he was, he was still my little brother and I was so proud of him for following his dream to become a NYC firefighter! Ever since we were little, all he could talk about was going to fire school, firefighter training and that ultimately his goal was to work for the NYFD. I'm glad that living here would enable him to start his application and testing process immediately.

What I didn't know was where I was going to put him for the next three months. Ang and I had the apartment until then, and now it looked like I would need to start looking for something I could afford to live in with Jake. Knowing that my thoughts would still be there when I chose to return to them, I rolled out of bed and started my day.

Walking into the kitchen, I grabbed a mug and filled it with hot water. I'd taken to drinking herbal tea this past week. Edward had suggested it when we'd met for coffee a week ago, stating that it helps soothe morning sickness for some women. _Was it just a week ago?_ It seemed like I'd known Edward for so much longer. Everything had just seemed so natural that when he'd asked to go exclusive, I hadn't thought about the fact that it could seem kind of sudden.

_Too sudden. _I had yet to explain to Edward that I not only didn't love the man I had a)lost my virginity to, and b) was impregnated by, but I also didn't know him at all nor had I been in a relationship with him. I really wanted to see things continue on the great path that Edward and I had started down and didn't want to ruin this image he probably had of me. I wasn't trying to put it off, it just hadn't come up in any of our conversations. But this brings me to another issue. Jake has no idea. I was waiting to tell my parents, hoping that I'd figure out a good enough reason why I had slept with someone I hardly knew.

I shook my head, still wondering how I'd bring it up, because he certainly would find out if I didn't mention it as soon as he arrived. I was just glad that Edward had offered to go with me. I hadn't been back to the airport since my initial arrival and wasn't keen on going alone. The tea kettle whistled and, after fixing myself a cup, I got to work cleaning the apartment.

**EPOV**

"Yes, Mom. I don't think she'll mind. I can't wait for you to meet her, too."

I'd been on the phone with my mom for what seemed like all morning. She wanted to know who was coming, and as soon as I mentioned that I was bringing a female, the interrogation had started. I'd never been one to bring females "home" to my parents' house. I did once, a girl I'd met my first year at med school. She'd been special enough, but we'd never declared our relationship. So when I brought her home, my family immediately concluded that she was my girlfriend and I hadn't had the heart to contradict them in front of her. She'd beamed up at me, like that was the best thing they could say about her visit.

"Okay Mom, I'll make sure she knows she doesn't need to bring anything. But if she insists, I'm not going to fight with her about it, okay? Yes, we'll see you Monday around eleven at the Hampton house."

Closing my phone, I stopped pacing and stared out my apartment window. I loved living in the city, there was always an over abundance of life that one could gladly take part in. I couldn't wait to take Bella to my parents house in the Hamptons. It was where I'd grown up as a child, my parents also had a home in the city, but it was only used when my dad needed a place to crash after a long shift at the hospital. They split their time between their Hampton home and the one in the city now that none of us were living at home.

It was getting close to noon and I was debating about calling Bella so soon. If I talked to her now, I didn't feel like I could logically keep her on the phone all day or call her back again this evening. But I also didn't want to wait too long because I didn't want her to think I had forgotten to call her. _What is wrong with me? I'm turning into a woman._

I felt like maybe instead of calling I should just go see her. I don't know what it was about her, but within the span of a week I had this incessant need to be thinking about her constantly, or if I wasn't thinking about her, which was rare, I was with her or talking about her, or talking to her.

Smiling, I scrolled through my contacts and just called her.

"Hi Edward," she said with a smile in her voice.

"Hello beautiful, did you miss me?"

"Nope."

_What?_

She giggled, "I have been too busy freaking out this morning to think about anything else except the fact that Jake will be here tomorrow and I don't have any place but the couch to put him," she groaned, frustrated.

"Well, you don't even know how long he's staying. Besides, he's a young man that probably won't mind crashing on the couch."

"You're right," she sighed. "So, what have you been up to this morning? Anything exciting?"

"I had a long talk with my mom...about you."

"Oh my God, she hates me already doesn't she?"

I laughed. "No. But she is very eager to meet you Monday."

"Oh, I'm so glad you brought that up, what should I bring?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Edward, I have to bring something. Even if it's just flowers to show her my appreciation."

"Bella, she specifically said to tell you not to worry about bringing anything. I mean, you are pregnant and they aren't going to expect you to bring anything."

"You told her I was pregnant?!"

"No, but I just wanted to remind you that with everything that's going on, the baby, Jake, your dad, no one would expect you to bring anything, okay?"

"Alright, Edward, I hate to cut this short because I would love nothing more than to talk to you for the rest of the day, but I have a lot to do before we leave for the airport tomorrow morning. You're going to be here at eight, right?"

I nodded, "yep. Then, after we pick him up, we'll head back into the city and eat somewhere for lunch."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Bye beautiful."

**********

I had lounged around the rest of Saturday, doing nothing to pass the time except watch pointless television. I had the entire weekend off from the hospital, which meant I'd be working all week starting Tuesday until Sunday. I was on my way to Bella's Sunday morning and I was running a little late. I'd set my alarm but had been in the middle of a vivid dream, which of course starred none other than Bella. I was anxiously awaiting the time when we could use the increased libido she was sure to be experiencing. The closer I got to Bella's, the more I was curious about how she had ended up pregnant. I only knew that he was no longer around, not how long she had been in a relationship with the guy, or how serious it was. She'd also told me that she hadn't loved him, but you can still develop strong feelings for someone even without them being love initially. I knew that right now there was no way that I could love Bella. I just knew that she'd become an important part of my life within the past week.

Before I knew it, I was stepping off the elevator onto her floor and knocking on her door.

She answered the door with a smile on her face and looking just as beautiful as she had on Friday. She shoved me out of the way, stepping out and turning around to lock the door, then grabbed my hand and led me towards the elevator. The doors were already open and we stepped on to the empty elevator. I turned to her, intending to make a comment about not getting a good morning kiss, when she pushed me back against the railing and attached her lips to mine.

Her hands ran up the my chest, around my neck and finally settled in my hair. I gripped her waist with my hands and ran them down to palm her ass, giving it a nice squeeze, causing her to buck against me. She started giggling and pulled away from me before I was finished, so I brought my hand up to the back of her neck to keep her from moving too far away. I leaned my forehead against hers and asked "what's so funny?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me, but it was like I had to have you."

Now it was my turn to chuckle. Should I mention that I could get really used to this kind of welcome?

"You know that's completely normal for the first and second trimesters of a typical pregnancy, right?"

She shook her head against mine. I quickly gave her another kiss as the doors opened and we were on our way to the airport.

The first fifteen minutes were spent getting out of the city and since it was pretty early for a Sunday morning, the traffic wasn't too bad. I knew we still had another thirty minutes or so that we would be stuck in the car, and I had spent the last ten minutes trying to figure out how to bring up her most recent relationship.

"Edward, whatever it is, would you just ask already?" She looked over at me with a hint of irritation.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She huffed, and crossed her arms, pursing her lips at me. Little miss attitude had shown up to play this morning.

"I don't know that you're going to like this particular question," I suggested.

I don't know why I was stalling, but if she wasn't happy now, how would she be after we talked about her pregnancy?

She reached down to the gearshift where my hand was currently resting and intertwined her hand with mine, bringing them to rest on her uncovered knee. Bella was wearing a knee length skirt that rode pretty high on the thigh when she was sitting.

"Will you tell me about the father?"

"What do you want to know?" Her voice didn't hold the irritation I had been expecting.

"I don't know, how you met him. How long you two were together. Anything you'd like to tell me really."

She sighed and let go of my hand. I couldn't not be touching her, especially now, so I just began running it back and forth across her knee.

"You don't have to tell me, Bella, I just think it might help me to understand where you're coming from in your past relationship."

"James and I weren't really together."

She turned to look at me with sadness in her eyes.

"What do you mean when you say 'together'? As in you weren't a couple?"

"Yes, we were not a couple. We'd also never really been on a 'date' either," she said and turned to look out the window.

"Bella, did he…," I swallowed and took a big breath, trying to calm the nervous flutter in my chest. "Did he rape you?"

"What?" she gasped. "Why does everybody fixate on that? Just because I had a one night stand with a guy and I was clearly intoxicated, and yes I may have regretted it, but I don't think that means he raped me. I don't even remember what happened that night, because I was so drunk." Her hand flew up to her mouth once she realized that she had basically just told me everything I needed to know.

"So let me get this straight," I shook my head. "No, I don't even know where to start," I said, exasperated.

"Okay," I tried again. "You had a one night stand with a guy that you hardly knew. He proceeded to get you drunk, and apparently was also too intoxicated to remember to use protection. Bella, please tell me you at least got yourself checked after that night."

Pulling my hand from Bella's leg, I began running it through my hair, finally chancing a look at her. She was shaking her head back and forth and had moved away from me. I was confused, _had I done something wrong? _I rubbed my hand across my face, and that's when I realized I had removed it as she was talking about her experience with James. I reached back over, only to have her move her leg further away from me.

"Bella, did you have a PAP so they could check for STD's?"

"No," she replied quietly. She looked like she was going to cry, but after letting it sink in what that fucking asshole did to her, I was just a little too angry to care right now.

"Well, you're getting one today," I stated as I pulled out my phone. "If Addison doesn't have time to see you, I will find someone that does. Do you realize how dangerous that was, Bella?"

She didn't say anything as I waited for someone at the desk to pick up. I think Kate was a little surprised to hear my voice on the other line as I checked to see that Addison did in fact have an opening for later in the afternoon, which I had Kate schedule Bella for immediately. As I hung up, I realized they would have a lot of questions for me when I arrived.

The car was silent the rest of the way to the airport. I was afraid of saying anything else because I knew that whatever I said wouldn't necessarily come out right.

We pulled into the airport short term parking lot and Bella quickly unbuckled her seat belt and was out of the car before I could shut the engine off. I felt like I was moving in slow motion by the time I was out of the car and had caught up with her. I grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the car, I needed to make sure she knew that I wasn't mad. That's all we needed, me meeting her brother while she thought I hated her.

I gently pushed her so her back was flush with the passenger side of the car and leaned against the car, with my hand at the side of her head.

She was looking down, avoiding eye contact, as I patiently waited for her to look at me.

It took her several minutes, but eventually she raised her head and was staring right back at me.

"Hi," I breathed.

I brought the hand that had been limply hanging at my side to her face and cupped her cheek.

"Bella, you know I'm not mad at _you,_ right?"

She shook her head, and I pulled her against me.

"Bella, I could never be mad at you, a little irritated with the situation, but I could never, ever be mad at you for something that happened in the past, okay? We're just going to get you checked so that if you did happen to contract an STD, we can get it treated."

I felt her nod against my chest and took that as my cue that we had made it past this first argument or whatever it was. I just couldn't believe he had been so reckless or that she hadn't gotten checked yet. I'd have to speak with Addison because it's typical when a single mother comes in that I generally ask about the conception. I've found that a lot of women won't freely give that information, but if they are prompted, they are more open.

**BPOV**

Edward never let go of me as we walked into the airport to wait for Jake's plane to land. I couldn't believe I had just blurted out everything I had been holding in regarding that night. I had been so afraid that he wouldn't want me anymore that I wasn't going to tell him for another few weeks. It had completely slipped my mind that I should get tested.

The airport was busy for a Sunday morning, last minute vacationers were milling about the lobby, I could hear a child crying off in the distance.

I took the itinerary Jake had sent me out of my bag and started to look it over. Edward had one arm wrapped around me and the other was pointing between the paper and the departure/arrival monitors. I couldn't help but laugh quietly. Regardless of what we'd just gone through, he still managed to bring a smile to my face.

Before I could let him know how adorable I thought he was, I was ripped from his arms and being twirled in the air.

I screamed and Edward already had me back in his arms, crushing me to him and we both struggled to catch our breath.

"Whoa," Jake joked. "Didn't mean to scare you there, Bella."

"Aaahhh," I squealed and jumped into his arms. We ended our embrace and I took a step back to look at Jake.

"Now that's more like the homecoming I was expecting," he laughed.

I was shocked to see how much he had grown in the few short months I had been away. My baby brother was no longer my baby brother. He must have grown at least 6 inches.

"Sorry, I didn't realize it was you and I don't think Edward was prepared to have me wrenched from his arms without prior warning."

Edward cleared his throat.

"Oh, Jake...this is Edward. Edward, this is my brother Jake."

"Nice to meet you man." Jake thrust his arm towards Edward to shake his hand. "Thanks for picking me up, I'd have hated to take a cab or have Bella pick me up by herself."

Edward tentatively shook Jake's hand and wrapped his other arm around my waist.

"So you're the one that knocked Bella up, huh?"

"Hey!" I smacked him. "How did you know I was pregnant?"

"Ow," he said as he rubbed his chest. "I didn't know for sure, but you just told me. It was either that or you put on some weight."

I punched him in the arm. "Watch It!" I teased. "And if we're going to be talking about weight, baby brother, let's talk about you. What have you been eating?" I asked joking with him.

"Eggs sis, lots and lots of Eggs." He flexed his muscles and flashed his signature smile. It felt good to have him here, like home.

I felt like the luckiest girl in the world as we walked out of the airport. Every pair of female eyes wandered my way as we passed. I just smiled and kept walking because I knew what they were thinking. I would have been thinking it, too. "_Damn, those men are FINE! Lucky girl!"_

Edward never said a word, he just ushered us towards the parking garage and remained silent as he drove us back towards the city.

**********

After lunch, Edward took us back to the apartment and we got Jake settled in before we had to get to our appointment. I felt bad that I couldn't be there with Jake for the afternoon, but because Edward was making such a big deal out of getting tested, I was now eager to find out the results.

Addison was waiting for us with a sly grin on her face when we arrived at the hospital.

The whole procedure was short and Addison said that I should have the results by Tuesday. But Edward being the anal ass that he was wouldn't have it. He grabbed the results and mumbled something about having to do everything himself before storming out of the exam room in pursuit of the lab.

I was too tired to follow him, and it was a few minutes before he appeared back in the room.

"Bella, are you feeling alright?" he asked with concern laced in his voice.

"Can we talk about it later? I think I just need to lay down for a while."

He walked over to where I was sitting on the exam table and stepped between my legs, resting his hands on my thighs.

"That's fine, it'll be a little while before they can get me the results, but we aren't leaving without them, okay?"

I nodded my head and started to lean back so I was laying on the table. Edward brought his arms around me and placed his hands behind my back to assist me as I reclined. As I laid there my mind started to race, I started thinking about all the things that were going to be here before I knew it. Jake was already here, and I had nowhere to put him. I would have to find a new apartment, furnish it, and move there by the end of November.

"Wait. Why do you have to move at the end of November?" Edward asked.

"Huh?"

"You said you have to find a new apartment and move by the end of November. Why?"

"Oh. I didn't realize I was thinking out loud. The apartment that Ang and I live in is only temporary. We have the first six months free of charge since we're interns. But at the end of the six months, they will either offer us a job or let us go. If we're offered a permanent job, we can stay in the apartment, but all the expenses become ours and I just couldn't afford an apartment that nice."

Edward stepped out from between my legs and came around to the side of the table.

Gently, he placed his hand on my face and said, "we'll talk about this later, okay?"

I nodded and he leaned down to kiss me as an older doctor stepped into the room.

"Edward, can I have a word with you, please?"

I looked between the older doctor with blond hair and Edward.

"I'll be right back," he whispered as he gave me another kiss and followed the man out the door.

A few minutes later they returned and Edward came back over to me and had me sit up.

"Bella, I'd like you to meet my father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He's the chief of staff here, and dad, this is Bella, my girlfriend." He said that last part with a huge grin on his face.

"Now I understand you two are waiting on some test results, so let me leave you to it and I'll go see what's taking them so long." He looked at me. "Bella, it was nice meeting you and I'll see both of you tomorrow." He looked so much like Edward as he grinned and shut the door on his way out.

"Oh my, Edward, he knows and now everyone in your family is going to know!"

"Hey, he won't tell anybody. He just wanted to know why I had a rush in on the lab results. Apparently I stepped on some toes and the lab techs weren't too happy with me."

"Wait, he doesn't think this is your baby, does he?"

"Well, I didn't tell him either way, but what would it matter? I mean you're my girlfriend and you're carrying a child, people are going to assume it's ours. Would you like me to correct every person that makes that assumption?"

"No. I just don't want to be lying about it. I do regret getting pregnant from a one night stand, but I'm certainly not ashamed of it."

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Cullen walked back in.

"Here are the results. It looks like everything came back clean Bella. You're very lucky."

"Thanks, Dad."

"No problem Edward, but I need to get back to my rounds. You two enjoy the rest of your day."

Dr. Cullen left and Edward was intently studying the test results.

"So, we can leave now?"

"Huh?" he asked as he looked up at me. "Oh yeah, we can leave. Let me just put these in your file on our way out."

He took my hand as I hopped off the bed and within no time we were in the car and on our way back to my apartment. Edward's hand was laced with mine, resting comfortably on his leg. Every once in a while he would raise my hand up to his lips and give the back of my hand a chaste kiss. The longer we sat in the car in silence, the more my mind wandered. Edward and I had our first 'fight', if you could even call it that. Maybe a misunderstanding was the better word. I just didn't know how I was going to be able to handle everything that was coming my way in the next few months. Sometimes I just wanted to be able to skip a period of time that I knew was going to be difficult and end up on the other side and see how I handled things. Mindlessly, I started bouncing my leg around and tracing delicate patterns on Edward's leg. I didn't know how I was going to do everything on my own, being a single mother was going to be so much harder than I ever thought.

"Bella, those things you were stressing about earlier, finding an apartment and furnishing it, planning for the baby and needing a place for Jake to stay, please don't worry about them," he said as he pulled into the parking garage. He shut off the car and got out, coming around my side to open my door. As he pulled me out, he tightly embraced me and placed a small kiss on the sensitive spot behind my ear and whispered, "Everything will work itself out, you don't have to do everything on your own."

* * *

I know, I know...I had planned to give you lots of good times at casa de Cullen...but that didn't happen in this chapter. I kinda feel like you're going to have a Cullen Overload next chapter, so it all works out okay!

If you missed the teaser that was on the threads...then that's just a suggestion to head on over there if you wanted it. I had every intention of teasing in a review reply like I usually do, but RL had other plans :( My beta had some things come up and has had to step back, so I now have a NEW beta...who has become a dear friend in the recent months, Jessica1971!

But I want to thank EVERY SINGLE one of you for reviewing...I not only met, but exceeded my goal of 51 reviews! I got 57, thanks to latuacantante4him that came in at the last minute and reviewed every single chapter. So, she gets the honors of rec'ing this Fic - The Girl Next Door by stavanger1. It was written for her since she was the winning bidder at the **Support Stacie Auction **last year, which is currently going on now. Link on my profile page :)

Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, just as much, or maybe more?

Leave me love if you want!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine.

Thanks...this time definitely go to the people that review me even though I am so fail at responding...i don't even think I got around to responding to half of you :( so, I can no longer promise responses and/or teasers through review replies. BUT visit the thread for teasers, usually a couple days after I post and a few days before the next chapter...also if you have a story, feel free to come over there and pmp your story or your friends, people are always looking for new stuff to read!

FYI, my beta kicks booty. I love you Jessica1971!

* * *

**BPOV**

Monday morning I was in my closet when I heard Angela answer the door and let Edward in. I knew she'd be more than willing to entertain him while I continued to sort through the mess of clothes that now littered my closet floor. None of them seemed good enough to wear today, or if I thought I had found something perfect, it didn't fit.

I expected Edward to walk in my room any minute, but he never did. I could hear Angela giggling in the living area so I hollered, "Edward!"

"Yes dear," came his chuckled reply. "I better get in there and see what she needs, thanks Angela."

I heard him coming down the hall so I turned back to the task at hand.

"Bella?" he said as he knocked.

"Come in Edward. You don't have to knock."

"I know, but what if you were na..." he said as he stepped into my closet, noticing that although I wasn't naked, I was only wearing a t-shirt. Giving him a rather nice peep show.

"Sorry," I blushed as I tried to scoot past him to grab my jeans that had ended up on the floor behind him.

He thrust his arm out to stop me and asked, "And where do you think you're going looking like that?" His gaze never left my body.

"To get my jeans," I pointed behind him.

"Oh," he said a bit flustered, but he composed himself enough and smacked me on my ass as I walked past him.

"Hey!" I squealed. "What'd you do that for?"

"Sorry," he chuckled, "but you're entirely too tempting and you walked right into that."

I bent down at the waist to continue my teasing, but as I grabbed the jeans I was no longer the one with the upper hand. Edward had stepped directly behind me and was now standing flush with me, his hands resting on my hips as he pushed his crotch against my ass.

I stood up slowly, easing myself further against him. Bringing my hand up his leg as I went, I heard his sharp intake of breath. Continuing my path, I wound my right arm across his back, behind his neck and combed my hand through his hair, pulling his head down towards my neck as he started nibbling my shoulder. He moved the oversize t-shirt off my shoulder and brought his left arm around me, drawing me even closer.

"Edward," I whispered.

"Mmhmm," he mumbled against my skin.

"What time are they expecting us? Because I really don't want to be late and I still have to figure out what I'm wearing."

He placed one last kiss right behind my ear and released me, walking over to sit on the bed while I finished getting dressed.

I quickly pulled on my jeans, ran my fingers through my hair and grabbed a top out of my closet that I had recently bought that still fit. It was a simple white tank and it would just have to do. It's not like we were going to a five star restaurant.

I was just about to leave the room when I remembered that Edward was still on my bed, watching every move I made. I opened my door, turning around towards the bed and placing my hand on my hip. I only had to wait a few seconds before he was up off the bed and following closely behind me.

"Jake, let's go," I bellowed.

He smiled at Angela and stood up from the couch, grabbing his Yankee's cap and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Bye Angela, are you sure you can't come with us?" I asked.

She nodded and winked while I rolled my eyes.

Making our way downstairs towards Edward's car, I realized I had forgotten the gift I'd found for Esme at the boutique last night and tried to tell Edward that I needed to go back up. He insisted that it wasn't a big deal and that I could just give it to her next time I saw her. He said she would be busy in the kitchen until she was done with dinner before I even saw her anyway.

The drive out of the city was nice. This was the first time I had been outside of the city limits other than when I'd been to the airport. It reminded me a little of home, the beginning of fall could be seen in the way the leaves no longer shone bright with deep greens all the way through.

Edward had the windows rolled down, the sunroof open, and some acoustic music playing. The sounds of Colbie Caillat could be heard over the wind rushing in through the open windows. I reached down to turn it up just as Edward did, brushing my hand against his.

_I've been spending all my time  
Just thinking about ya  
I don't know where to  
I think I'm fallin' for you  
I've been waiting all my life  
And now I found ya  
I don't know where to  
I think I'm fallin' for you  
I'm fallin' for you_

Truer words couldn't have been coming through the speakers, and I could tell Edward felt the same as he looked over at me, briefly taking his eyes off the road.

The open countryside gave way to houses, then gave way to even bigger houses. Once we reached bigger houses than I had ever seen, I realized that Edward was a doctor, his father was a doctor, and every person in his family probably had a six figure income.

Edward turned down a private drive that had a white picket fence gate that opened as he pushed a button on his dash.

The house was immaculate, yet simple. Not overly gaudy, reminding me of an elaborate cottage. Of course it had at least two floors and was covered with stone. There was a smaller version of the mansion off to the right of the main house, which Edward said was the garage.

Edward came to a stop, coming around to my side of the car and opening my door before he reached in and helped me out.

"Wow," Jake breathed. "This is where you grew up?"

**EPOV**

"Yeah, it's the only home I've ever known. My parents have an apartment in the city that they spend a lot of time at now because it's closer to us, but as a child I spent almost every night of my life on this property."

"It's beautiful," Bella said with a smile plastered on her face.

"It is, and there are a lot of estates around here that are for sale as well. I've been working with a realtor to see if there's anything out here that I might be interested in."

"How long have you been looking?" Bella asked.

"Just the past month or so," I replied. Hoping that she wouldn't continue to probe. I'd started looking for a Realtor after my birthday, but hadn't asked him to start looking heavily until this past week. I'd called him on Saturday and kind of told him what I might be looking for. I hadn't told anybody else yet, though. I wasn't thinking about having Bella move in with me tomorrow, but especially after her break down on Sunday, I wanted it to certainly be an option if and when we reached that point.

"Hmm, well I think this would be a lovely place to live. A great place to raise a child, maybe a little over the top, but I'm just a simple girl." She smiled up at me, wrapping her arm around my waist as I slung my arm over her shoulder and led her up the front path, stopping at the door. I turned to her, gave her a chaste kiss and then opened the door.

"Edward!" I was yanked through the doors and into the tiny arms of my adopted sister Nessie. She wasn't technically adopted, but when Alice came home from fat camp the summer after 6th grade she was toting Vanessa with her and they were simply inseparable. They resembled sisters that were separated at birth. They were both just under five feet tall; Alice had dark brown hair, while Nessie had hair the same shade as mine.

"Oh my gosh, you did bring her. Mom said you were bringing someone special with you and, Alice! Girl, you did not do her justice. Bella, it is Bella, isn't it? You are absolutely stunning, gorgeous. Now turn around so I can get the whole effect."

She had abandoned her hold on me and grabbed Bella's hand from mine, spinning her around. The rest of the family came up behind her and watched the debacle that Ness had created and Alice was continuing. Watching my sisters with Bella made my heart soar. Without any input from me, they had already welcomed her into their little world. She turned back around to look at me and instead of nerves, which I expected, she had the biggest smile on her face. The one that I secretly hoped would always be meant for me.

She reached her hand out toward me but was pulled by Alice and Ness into the living room where they sat her on the opposite love seat from where they were sitting and started peppering her with questions. I glanced at her as if to ask if she needed me with her and she shook her head no. So Jake and I headed outside to the backyard where my dad, my brother, and soon to be brother-in-law were tossing the football around. The last sound I heard as I closed the door was Bella's giggle and I couldn't have been happier.

Jasper had his arm thrown back preparing to launch the football at Emmett so I ran in for an interception, causing Emmett to lose his footing and go crashing to the ground. He flipped me off as I leaned down to help him up.

"Not cool man, what'd you do that for?"

I couldn't help but laugh because he was dead serious that I had just ruined the game of catch the two of them had been playing.

"Oh Emmett, like you wouldn't have done the same thing to me given the opportunity."

He just smacked me on the back and let out a belly laugh. "You're right, man. I just can't believe you knocked me off my feet. Rosie would have loved to have seen that. She's been irritated with me all morning and I have absolutely no idea why."

"Pregnancy hormones man, I swear it's like one minute they're perfectly fine and the next she's bawling her eyes out," I said.

All three of them were staring at me with shocked expressions on their faces. Even though Carlisle knew, I had informed him yesterday that we were going to wait to tell the family for a little while. I glanced at Jake and he had a knowing smirk on his face that I had probably said too much.

Emmett was the first to speak, "it's like you read my mind. How would you have any idea what goes on in the house of a pregnant woman?"

Thinking of an answer was the last thing on my mind as Bella came out the door, followed closely by my sisters. She took a step down and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The guys looked from me to where my attention was now focused on Bella, and then back to me.

I'm pretty sure Jaz had figured it out, and I knew Emmett would sooner or later, but as their significant others stepped into the circle we had formed, the moment seemed to pass.

Bella wrapped her arms around me and stood on her tiptoes as I leaned down to give her a kiss.

"Can we talk somewhere privately?" she whispered into my ear.

Nodding, I told my family that we'd be back and Bella and I headed towards the water for some alone time.

We walked in silence for several minutes before she stopped me and sat down on the sand, pulling me down with her.

"I love your sisters, Edward."

"From the way it looks, they seem to love you, too. Is that a problem?"

She shook her head and turned to look at me.

"I just, now that I've met them, I don't want them to find out that I'm pregnant with another man's child before I have the chance to tell them, you know?"

"Okay, so we can tell them today over lunch. I'm sure they will be thrilled and I might have already let it slip to my brothers."

"What?" she looked at me with fear in her eyes.

"It wasn't like I did it on purpose, sweetheart. Emmett was complaining about Rose being mad at him for no apparent reason and all the mood swings she's been having lately. I just agreed with him and mentioned that one minute you're happy and the next you're crying. Well, I didn't say you. I generalized it, but then Emmett asked how I would know that but I didn't get a chance to answer him before you girls came outside."

During my rambling she had turned her attention back out towards the water and hadn't looked back at me. She was biting her lip, and it was so irritating that I couldn't read her mind.

"Bella, beautiful, please look at me," I said as I reached towards her, grabbing her hand and bringing it to my lap to trace the creases on the inside of her palm.

"Edward, you said your dad thinks that it's yours, right?"

I nodded, but then realized she still hadn't looked at me so I answered. "Yes. I assume he thinks that, but he never asked and I didn't willingly give him the information since we hadn't discussed it. But Bella, I'm more than willing to do whatever you want, whatever you feel more comfortable with."

She finally turned to look at me. "Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?"

"Edward, we've only been dating like a week. How could this possibly be yours?"

"Bella, they don't know that you and I have only been together a week. And lots of people get pregnant when they aren't in an actual relationship."

"Really? Really Edward, you think I don't know that?" she smiled at me and motioned towards her stomach.

Instead of defending myself, since I'd obviously stuck my foot in my mouth, I just chuckled.

"Yeah, that wasn't the most appropriate way to put it, but you know what I mean. We could have been dating and not been a couple when you got pregnant."

"I do know what you mean, but I..." she paused, scrunching up her face, and finally said, "I think if they ask, then we say something but we never let them assume it's yours. When they ask, or when one of us or Jake or your dad lets it slip, then I want them to know that this isn't yours and that I don't intend to be a burden."

I pulled her into my lap. "Is that what you think you are? A burden? That I have chosen you because I take pity on you, because I feel bad for you? Bella, I want you because you're beautiful, kind, smart, caring, absolutely adorable and this," I said placing my hand on her stomach, "just happens to be part of the package. Just like Jake or anybody else that's a part of your life. I would want you regardless of this, okay?"

She nodded and wrapped her arms around my neck, placing a kiss on my lips.

"How did I get so lucky?" she asked, kissing me again.

"I don't know, but who said you're the lucky one, huh?"

She giggled and her mouth trailed along my jaw. Reaching my ear, she drew my lobe into her mouth and I was immediately hard. I knew she felt it when her breath hitched and she rotated her hips, creating a delicious friction.

Her mouth moved lower, brushing against my my neck.

"How long before they come looking for us, you think?"

"Not long enough."

I eased her away from me, helping her to stand and then rising myself. Grabbing her hand, we walked back up to the house where my family had split off into couples, leaving Jake and Nessie to entertain themselves. She seemed to be giggling a little too exuberantly and looked completely enthralled with whatever he was telling her.

My mom still hadn't left the kitchen. I couldn't wait to see her reaction to Bella. My brothers hadn't spent much time with her, but dinner wasn't too far off now.

Bella and I walked up to Jake and Nessie. I heard her whisper an apology in his ear as she gave him a hug, dwarfed by his enormous size. I loved that Bella had a strong relationship with her brother, now I just needed to talk to Alice about Bella and Jake needing an apartment with more room. I squeezed Bella's hand and nodded towards Alice, kissing Bella on the cheek and headed towards my sister.

I quickly explained the situation to Alice, watching as she formulated a plan in her head. She reassured me that I had nothing to worry about, that she knew the perfect solution. Meaning she wasn't going to run it by me first. Alice wasn't always willing to let people help her when she was meddling.

Bella, Jake, and the rest of my family except my mother had retired to the family room. When I walked in they were all involved in an epic battle of the couples playing catch phrase. Bella had been paired with Jasper since Alice and I were MIA, so when we came in they separated and paired off with each of us.

We had several different versions of the game because we loved to play it as a family. We couldn't keep score with the console because we had so many teams, so we had a big white board on the wall that we would keep our points on. I sat down across the room from Bella as we waited our turn. The look on her face when she knew the answer was priceless. It was our turn and as the game was handed to me I hit the next button and Jessica Simpson came on the screen. The first thing that came to my mind was football, Tony Romo, but I wasn't sure if Bella would get that. So I started with...

"Actress, blond hair, singer," she never said anything. So I looked up at her and as her eyes locked with mine I shouted, "dating Tony Romo."

"Jessica Simpson."

Handing the game over to Jasper I realized that Bella had only been able to answer it when I looked at her. This happened a few more times and it became more apparent each time. Even if I only said one word at the beginning, as soon as our eyes connected she was able to answer my ramblings.

The game ended with me and Bella tying with Jasper and Alice. We called it even and decided we'd have a rematch later because my mom had finally come to collect us for dinner.

My siblings and the rest of the family filed into the sun room where mom had the table set for ten people; dad sitting at the head with mom to his right, Alice sitting immediately next to her, followed by Jaz. I took the seat next to Jaz, but not before holding Bella's chair out for her. Jake sat next to her with Nessie on his other side, and then Rose and Em. It was nice to see all my siblings with a member of the opposite sex; we were all equally paired and I was so glad to finally be a part of that and be able to reach next to me, caring deeply for the woman that sat next to me, and rub her thigh under the table.

Mom started to say grace when she stopped, looking around the table at the two new additions, and jumped out of her seat.

"Bella! Oh my goodness, I have been such a bad hostess. Come here, let me take a look at you. No wonder Edward was so smitten with you. You are absolutely adorable, and look at that, you can even make my son blush." She winked at me.

"Thank you so much for having me and Jake over today, it's been unbelievable to hang out with a large family again. I've missed home a lot more the last few weeks and your family has just been so welcoming." She started to tear up so I reached out and pulled her against me, resting my head against her stomach, giving it a kiss through her shirt. Bella scraped her fingers against my scalp as I looked up at her with complete adoration.

My mother gasped, "I thought you looked like you were carrying a child, but I didn't want to say anything fearing that you could have just put on some weight. Oh my goodness, I'm going to be a grandmother? Edward, when were you planning on telling us?" She asked, looking between the two of us and finally looking at my father. I silently prayed that he wouldn't let on that he knew, even if it was only yesterday.

"Esme," Bella started.

"Mom, we were just waiting a little bit longer until she'd reached her second trimester before we told too many people, you know the risks that come with carrying your first child."

My mother had been well into her third trimester, only days from delivering, when she had her first miscarriage. She'd been devastated and then found out just a few months later that she was carrying Emmett. Apparently my dad had her on immediate bed rest when they found out, afraid that he would end up losing her too. She was able to carry Emmett and me to term without any problems, but had two more failed pregnancies before she had Alice.

She just nodded her head as she placed her hands on Bella's tiny bump. Bella looked at my mom and wrapped her arms around her, whispering something to her that I couldn't hear. Bella and my mother had a secret conversation while the rest of us just looked on in silence. Esme squeezed her one last time and released her back to me as I stood up and helped her into her seat again.

Dinner was quiet, with the exception of Emmett and Jake going back and forth about the Yankee's. Apparently Jake was their biggest fan, or so he claimed. Emmett was excited to have someone that knew just as much about the players as he did and promised to take him and introduce him to the guys that he knew that were still on the team.

Nobody had said anything about the comment mother had made earlier about Bella being pregnant. Anytime someone would start to say something to Bella, my mom would give them the evil eye, just daring them to bring up something about her pregnancy. But Rose finally bit the bullet, bringing up the elephant in the room.

"So Bella, how far along are you?"

"Um," Bella looked at me. "I'm just a little over two months."

"Hmmm, that's interesting. I didn't even know Edward was seeing someone two months ago, did you Emmett?"

Emmett shook his head as he continued to shovel food into his already full mouth.

"I mean really, you would think we would have heard about you before now, when you show up and we find out that you're pregnant with Edward's child. Unless…," she paused dramatically. "Unless the child you're carrying isn't his and you're just an unfortunate whore that Edward has taken pity on. I mean seriously, if that's the case what are you thinking, Edward?"

My mother being the mother hen that she is stepped in to protect the woman that had become my whole world before I had the chance to do it myself.

"Excuse me, Rose? Are you saying that a woman that gets pregnant by one man shouldn't allow another man to raise the child as his own?"

"So, I'm right? Edward, why would you want to raise a child that's not yours? I have news for you, bub. That's not something you want to go spreading around the community, especially the hospital. I mean..."

"Rosalie! That is enough," my father interjected, standing up and throwing his napkin down on the table. "I will not have you speaking to anybody in this house like that. I love you like you are my very own daughter, you've been a part of this family since you were a teenager, but I will not hesitate to remove you from _my_ house until you can remember where you came from."

She opened her mouth to speak and Carlisle held up his hand, challenging her to continue. Emmett was looking down at his plate, totally engrossed in what little food was left.

Rose tried one more time and my mother stood up this time.

"Rosalie, I don't know where you get off trying to make sense of the argument that what Edward is doing is wrong. It's probably the most selfless thing a man can do when he loves another man's child as if it was his own. You have no idea about the background that everyone in this house has, and I would dare say that you yourself don't happen to have a past that you're not necessarily proud of."

"Please Esme, you guys all live in this perfect little world, with your perfect little friends and your perfect little country club. I know..."

"No you don't _know,_ Rose. You don't know that Edward is not Carlisle's biological son, or the fact that I had an affair with another man while Carlisle and I worked through marital problems. That even though I was unfaithful to him and conceived a child because of it, he sacrificed his pride and took me back; he forgave me for the awful…," she looked at my dad, tears running down her face as she let out the biggest secret of my life to the entire family. She continued, "Most selfish thing I ever did, and loves me in spite of it. He so easily could have turned around and walked away, but he never did," she finished as her slow tears turned into gut wrenching sobs. My father stepped around the corner of the table and encompassed her in his arms, soothing her with his voice, calming her with his touch.

_My father_, the man I'd always known as my father wasn't really my biological father. How do you deal with that? How was I going to face everyone, knowing that I was the product of an extramarital affair. Bella stood up from her chair, came around behind me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

Kissing me on the cheek, she whispered, "Edward, sweetheart, tell me what you need me to do. Do you have a room we can go to and..."

I nodded, releasing her arms as I stood, pulling her with me towards the bedrooms.

"Edward," my dad touched my arm. "Things are still as you have always known them, but we can discuss this later."

"Edward?" Alice asked.

"Not now Alice."

"I know that right now isn't necessarily the best time, but I really need to talk to Bella about my apartment, because I need to make some decisions and I don't want to make them without talking to her first."

I continued walking, the girls following behind me, talking softly. The only thing I could think of was getting to my room and lying down with Bella beside me. Holding her or having her hold me as I slept away the shocking news that had been shared just moments ago. Changing everything I had ever known. I got to the room, but Bella stopped me from going in.

"You go on in, sweetheart. I need to finish this conversation with Alice and then I'll be in, just give me a minute."

I released her hand and without so much as a kiss stepped into my room, stripping off my shirt and jeans, leaving me in only my boxers, and crawled into my bed.

I never felt Bella get into bed with me, I only knew she did because when I awoke she was laying in front of me while I was spooned behind her. Looking towards my door, I saw that my mom and dad were both standing there watching us sleep. I wasn't mad at them for anything and hoped they knew that I had just been in shock because never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect that Carlisle wasn't my dad.

"Edward," my mom whispered, on the verge of tears again.

I shook my head, and she took it as I didn't want to hear it, tears streaming down her face.

"Mom, please don't cry. I can't hold you and Bella at the same time like this." I chuckled, causing Bella to stir. "I'm not mad, I was just extremely shocked with what happened at dinner. Between Rose's outburst and the revelation that dad...well, isn't my dad. Were you guys ever going to tell me?" I asked, leaning on my elbow, repositioning myself while still holding on to Bella.

My dad shook his head no as he stepped around the bed, bending down so he was eye level with me.

"Edward, I know you've thought a great deal about this because you wouldn't have let me or anyone else believe that this baby was yours without thinking how that would affect the child. Had you planned on telling Bella's baby?"

"I thought I would leave that choice up to her, but no. Even though I just met Bella and know very little about her, what I do know, I love. I highly expect people will assume that she's carrying my child, our child, and I haven't, nor am I planning on, correcting them."

"So do you see where we were coming from, in not telling you? Your father is a very prominent man in the medical community and this was almost thirty years ago. Imagine how that would have looked if it had gotten out," my mother interjected.

"Yes", I agreed, "but how did you keep it from getting out? And why didn't you ever tell me? Did I ever meet him?"

Bella began to stir again and my mother looked down at us, the awe in her face had replaced the sadness.

"You love her, don't you?" she asked.

"I think so, and if I don't yet, then it's only a matter of time."

"Edward, I'm so proud of you, of the man you've become. Even without knowing that Carlisle raised you like his own, you still seem to have the same caring heart that he does. Take care of her. I know, I know that I'm sure you have every intention to, but I've never seen you this way with anyone."

"That's because it's never been like this before Mom. She's become my whole world in a little over a week. I don't think I can imagine...I can't see a future that doesn't involve her and her baby."

My mother smiled at me, leaning down to give Bella a kiss on the cheek as she and my father left the room. I leaned into Bella, smelling the place where her hair had fallen away from her neck, where her scent was the strongest.

The day had started so well, and even with all that happened over dinner, it had a great ending. Spending the evening wrapped up with Bella in my former bed was infinitely better than anything I could've thought of had I had to go through it alone. I couldn't wait to talk to Carlisle about it and had approached him several times over the following week to speak with him about 'the situation' as I'd begun to refer to it.

I didn't get to see much of Bella, she had a huge deadline at work and was staying late at the office. She and Alice had apparently begun negotiating plans and rates regarding Alice's apartment that would become available at the beginning of October, giving us less than a month to get her to agree to living there rent free as long as she was responsible for the utilities.

Jake had done great with his initial fire fighter training and had been advanced into the next portion of his tests and procedures. Bella was so proud of him and just so entirely happy the few times I'd talked to her. I was ready for my shift to end, because tomorrow was Sunday and Bella and I had made plans for the entire day. Our plans currently consisted of doing nothing specific but spending the day together, and that was fine with me. I was just packing up my stuff when Addison walked up to the reception desk.

"So Edward, do you and Bella have anything planned for her birthday with your day off tomorrow?" Addison asked.

Instead of answering her, I just stared at her, hoping she would elaborate. When she didn't I decided I'd have to find out what she was talking about.

"I'm sorry, Addison, but what are you talking about? Bella's birthday isn't tomorrow," I said.

She turned to walk away from me, but I wasn't interested in that. I reached out to stop her. "You better not touch me Edward, I'm just going to grab Bella's file because I'm positive tomorrow is her birthday, unless she somehow figured out how to lie on her medical records."

I watched her walk away from me, baffled. Why hadn't Bella mentioned anything about tomorrow? We had plans to spend the day together, but I would've wanted to make it special if it was her birthday. I was hurt that she didn't tell me about it. Did she think I wouldn't care or..._why, why wouldn't she tell me_?

Addison walked back over to me and held Bella's file open in front of me. Right there at the top, it did indeed say September 13, 1986. _Wow, I didn't know she was only 23. _ Not knowing either of those things made me wonder what else I possibly didn't know about her.

* * *

Link for the Hampton House on the threads!

Seriously EVERYONE that leaves me a review, I just want to bow down at your feet because I read every single one, they mean so much to me :)

Fic rec(s)

The first is a fabulous story that is a just a fabulous that I fell in love with from the beginning and she needs to get some more reviews so she updates before she goes on vacation, so if you check out **Change of Heart** by luvcullens, make sure to review every chapter even if it's just to say GREAT CHAPTER!

The second is a Bella/Jake O/S that I just read for the Love through Lemons contest. It was my first ever and it was so well written that I sometimes forgot that I wasn't reading E/B because I always think of them when reading something lemony...anywho, go check it out. It's **Near To You** by TwilightSherry, and she popped my B/J cherry.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer(s): _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine._

Thanks...this time definitely go to the people that review me even though I am so fail at responding...i don't even think I got around to responding to half of you :( so, I can no longer promise responses and/or teasers through review replies. BUT visit the thread for teasers, usually a couple days after I post and a few days before the next chapter...also if you have a story, feel free to come over there and pmp your story or your friends, people are always looking for new stuff to read!

FYI, my beta kicks booty. I love you Jessica1971! Thanks also to pears13 for rec'ing my story on The Fan, which I have yet to read :( I got some great new readers!

* * *

_**Previously**_

_I watched her walk away from me, baffled. Why hadn't Bella mentioned anything about tomorrow? We had plans to spend the day together, but I would've wanted to make it special if it was her birthday. I was hurt that she didn't tell me about it. Did she think I wouldn't care or...why, why wouldn't she tell me?_

_Addison walked back over to me and held Bella's file open in front of me. Right there at the top it did indeed say September 13, 1986. Wow, I didn't know she was only 23. Not knowing either of those things made me wonder what else I possibly didn't know about her._

**EPOV**

Saturday, after I left the hospital, was spent calling everyone that I knew in hopes that I could pull off a great birthday surprise for Bella in less than twenty-four hours. I started with Alice so she could be formulating a plan in her head. I knew what I wanted to do mostly, but if I needed anything special, she would be the one that could pull strings for me.

I had called Emmett after I got off the phone with Alice because I knew he had Jake's number since they'd spent some time together over the past week. I was glad that not only Bella was being welcomed into the family by everyone with the exception of Rose, but Jake was also.

_Rose_… I still didn't know what had caused her attitude on Monday, but it hadn't sat well with any of us. I knew Emmett had been afraid to call her out on her behavior because he had been looking forward to just flying under the radar until she was her pleasant self with him like she usually was. When I had talked to him after getting Jake's number, I found out that she still had yet to apologize even to him for the embarrassment that she had caused him and they hadn't spoken about it. What they did within their relationship didn't concern me as long as she never treated Bella like that again.

I had so many things to process this week and now that I was off work I could begin to wrap my brain around everything. I had been working almost non-stop with maybe a few hours sleep here and there. Bella and I had taken to texting back and forth just to keep the lines of communication open. I couldn't blame her for not telling me about her birthday. After I got over the initial shock that she hadn't felt the need to tell me, I was reminded by Addison that we had only been "together" for about two weeks and the last week I hadn't spent any time with her because of my hectic schedule.

My mind was a jumble of thoughts, and at the forefront of it was the debacle that had taken place at dinner. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that Carlisle wasn't my father. I still had a problem, a week later, thinking that I wasn't his son. I never knew my parents had even had marital problems; they'd always been loving in front of me. Obviously they had worked them out before I could understand what was going on, and Emmett was too young to realize what had been going on, also. I had no facts, no details to go with this information. Although I was curious about, I also didn't want to upset either of them. I couldn't even say that I was mad that they hadn't told me about it. If this situation with Bella hadn't happened, I'm sure I would have died without knowing any of it and been perfectly content with my life. I still was content, but I wanted to sit down with both of them and have a civilized conversation where each of us could be completely honest and open.

I wasn't interested in knowing who my biological father was right now, just the how and why. Rose was right about one thing, we did live in a pretty perfect world free of a lot of problems that others seemed to face on a daily basis. Apparently it wasn't that the problems didn't exist, but that the problems were hidden behind the facade.

Pulling my phone back out I decided I really needed a distraction and I knew who could provide it. I dialed Bella's number, hoping she might at least mention that tomorrow was a little bit more than just another Sunday.

It rang and rang, a total of 6 times, and she didn't answer. I was suddenly glad I had already talked to Emmett and had Jake's number so I quickly dialed it, relieved that he answered immediately.

"Hi Edward," he answered.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Because you just called Bella's phone, and I spoke with Emmett a little while ago and he told me that he gave you my number because you found out that tomorrow is B's birthday. And just so you know, don't take it personally that she didn't tell you. She absolutely hates her birthday, so she may not even know it's tomorrow."

"Thanks man, that does make me feel a little better. Would she hate me making a big deal about it then?"

"Probably, we never celebrated it growing up. We did for every other holiday, huge celebrations with the family, but not birthdays. So, Emmett said you had something you planned with your sister. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I would really like to be there when she wakes up in the morning, breakfast in bed type of thing. Then we had already planned to spend the day together, so I thought I would pack a picnic. We have some other things I'd like to discuss. Bella and I haven't really had a good opportunity to share a lot about our pasts for the most part. Do you know why she didn't answer her phone?"

"She's out man, she went to bed a little while ago. She's been more tired the last few days, hasn't been able to sleep. Is that normal? For pregnant women this early? You don't think something is wrong with her, do you?"

I shook my head, trying to clear the horrible thoughts and analogies that were currently streaming through my mind.

"No, I'm sure she's fine. It's typical for first time mom's to be extremely tired all throughout their pregnancy. She's closing in on the first trimester in a couple weeks, so she'll be getting over the morning sickness and now she'll be tired. Tired and horny are usually what men joke about happening at this stage of their wives pregnancy."

"Seriously? You do realize you just told me my sister is probably horny, right? Come on Eddie, I don't need to know about what goes on with my sister in that sense at all. Kapiche?"

I chuckled, "sorry Jake."

Not really sorry at all, I had gone off into lala land thinking about Bella and the pregnancy hormones that had already started to show themselves a little bit. Those were something I was definitely getting anxious for more of.

"Okay Jake, I'll be there in the morning around seven. Do you think she'll be getting up about then?"

"I don't know, she's been getting up about that time, so I would say that's a good time to get here unless you want to get here a little earlier and be the one to wake her up. By the way, what kind of breakfast are you bringing?"

We finished discussing what I was picking up at a restaurant on my way over. I had hardly any skills in the kitchen besides opening a bottle of wine. He tried to hint at things he knew Bella liked, but I didn't think grits would be high on her list.

I arrived at my apartment, walking in the door greeted with the most heavenly smell, freesias and strawberries. It smelled like Bella, but that didn't make sense. She hadn't been over here and according to Jake she was sound asleep in her bed. I dropped my keys onto the counter as I entered my living area and saw a box sitting on my dining room table. I walked over to where the box sat and opened it up. The smell immediately got stronger as soon as I removed the lid and my eyes widened in amazement at the contents. Inside were dozens of bath beads that looked like marbles in pinks, whites, and creams. They immediately reminded me of Bella's blush. Pulling out my phone, I started to dial my sister when I noticed an envelope with a note in it sitting next to where the box had been. I started reading it and was surprised that she rambled on about the gift and how she just knew I'd like it and that Bella would like it, too.

She mentioned that tomorrow morning when I got to Bella's I should give her a healthy breakfast, suggesting some granola, yogurt, fresh fruit and then suggested a nice soak in a bath with the bath beads. Apparently Bella had mentioned her fantastic tub that had room in it for two. Hmmm, two? As I continued reading she did bring up the 'two' part and suggested I bring the suit she had laid out on my bed as well as the one lying next to it that she had picked up for Bella.

I walked off towards my room and contemplated getting my key back from Alice, but I knew she was only doing this because I asked her and she had probably already made a duplicate copy so it wouldn't do me any good. Stepping into the bedroom I was reminded yet again why I fucking loved my sister. There on the bed was a bathing suit for Bella. It was a one piece that would cover whatever insecurity she felt about her stomach, but it would also be nice for me to appreciate her body. It was black and the front was two pieces of loose but taught fabric that came up in v formation, covering her breasts and then wrapping around her neck in halter style. The suit was in a classic black and I just hoped that she would wear it for me at some point in the future, the very near future. There was a tag attached that mentioned wearing this suit during your pregnancy and that the lower band around your stomach was made to stretch and would fit well into your third trimester.

I saw a bag sitting further up on the bed that was empty; Alice definitely never did anything halfway. I quickly packaged the items and laid down for bed, but sleep never came. It wasn't due to not being tired, because I was exhausted, but my mind just wouldn't shut itself off.

I was so anxious to get to Bella's and see her reaction to my presence when she woke up up that I arrived at a quarter after six and was greeted by a very sleepy Angela. She kindly waved me in and left me in the kitchen to get the breakfast tray ready.

I took my time, making sure that everything looked beautiful. I grabbed the single purple rose and placed it in the cylindrical vase. I had agonized over what to use as a decoration and had finally gone with the simple, less complicated meaning of the single purple rose. Beauty. I had a few pet names that I had been referring to Bella as, and beautiful was one of them. It was certainly safer than giving her a red rose which symbolizes love.

Love, it could be such an all consuming feeling that I didn't even realize that what I was feeling was love until my mother had mentioned it at dinner on Monday. I knew the feelings I had for Bella and the way she encompassed my every thought was like nothing I had ever experienced. I thought once that I had been in love, but it was nothing like this.

I steadied the tray in my hands and walked softly to her room. The door was open a sliver, so I nudged it open and there she was. All rumpled from sleep, half buried under her covers with her hands tucked under her cheek as she rested on her side.

I walked in and set the tray on her bedside table as quietly as possible. I didn't want to wake her up yet. She looked like she'd had a restless night and if I was honest with myself I wanted to crawl under the covers with her, so that's exactly what I did. I had planned on getting into the bathtub with Bella, so I had come over with my swim trunks on.

I went around to the other side of the bed, pulled the covers back and climbed in, wrapping my arms around her and bringing her back against my chest.

She stirred a little before sighing and relaxing against me. Snuggling up in bed with Bella beat waking her up and feeding her breakfast, and with little to no sleep I was quickly realizing how tired I was. I fell asleep holding Bella in my arms, only to wake up a little later to something ghosting along my jaw.

I heard a soft giggle and was surprised when I felt Bella press her lips against mine. Not knowing if she knew I was awake, I brought my hand that had been resting against her lower back and cupped it behind her head, deepening the kiss. Breaths were shared, her tongue caressed mine with the softness I had come to expect from her, but she pulled back a little too quickly for my liking.

"Good morning," I whispered against her lips, giving her a chaste kiss.

"Mmmm," she hummed. "What are you doing here so early? I didn't even know you were here until I woke up. How long have you been here?"

I kissed her again, silencing her babble.

"I wanted to be here" kiss "to wake you up" kiss "with breakfast" kiss "in bed."

"Mmhmmm, well this is a nice surprise," she said climbing on top of me and placing her hands against my chest.

Neither one of us said anything for a while, but I could tell she was nervous because she was biting her lip.

"Bella, why didn't you tell me your birthday was today?"

She just shrugged and I waited for her to answer me before I continued.

"Ugh," she brought both hands up to her face and ran them through her hair. She started to climb off of me but I placed my hands against her thighs, holding her to me.

"Huh uh, why didn't you tell me, sweetheart?"

"I just didn't think it was important. I don't celebrate my birthday, Edward. I haven't celebrated it since I was a really little girl. I'm sorry, it had nothing to do with hiding it from you or because I didn't want you to know. Honestly," she paused and took a big breath, "I actually forgot about it. It never even crossed my mind that today was my birthday. Celebrating my birthday had been a huge deal to my dad before he died."

Damn it, why didn't Jake mention that last night when he was telling me that they didn't celebrate it? I should have known there was a legit reason that she didn't tell me or didn't celebrate it. I reached up, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her against me as I lay back down on the bed.

This caused her to shift against me, bringing her center in contact with my second morning wood.

She purred, burying her face into my neck, and continued to rock her lower body back and forth against me.

My hands had traveled down her back, dipping into the back of her short shorts and squeezing her harder against me.

"Bella, ah, as good as that feels love, I have some other things planned and I'd really like to get you into that bathtub of yours that you told Alice about. Isn't it big enough for two?"

"Yes, but I don't know if I'm ready for you to see all my imperfections," she giggled.

I laughed and rolled us so she was below me and I was resting on top of her, holding most of my weight off to the side.

"I had a feeling you'd say that," I said as I ran my hand from her bare shoulder across her clothed breast, pausing as I brushed my fingers against her erect nipple.

"Ungh," she moaned. "You're playing dirty."

I held my hand up in defense and climbed off the bed, reaching down and grabbing the bag that held the suit Alice had picked up for her.

"Alice didn't think you'd want me to see you naked just yet either, so she did a little shopping. And I must say that I'm almost as excited to see you in this suit as I would be to see you naked right about now. Actually, that's probably a lie."

Her mouth dropped open before she composed herself and snatched the bag right out of my hands, running towards her bathroom.

I took off after her and reached her just as the door slammed in my face. I didn't hear her turn the lock so I knew I could just open the door, but held up my fist to knock on the door. I waited a few minutes and just as I was about to make contact with the door it swung open and she grabbed the front of my swim trunks, pulling me into the bathroom. She stood before me with the sexy bathing suit covering her succulent body.

She turned around, walking over to the tub that was already filling with water, and dumped several of the beads in.

She was stunning. The suit left just enough room so that she would still be able to wear it in a few months, when her belly continued to expand. I walked quickly up behind her and stepped into the tub just before she did. Sitting down, she climbed in after me and sat between my legs.

I grabbed a loofa sponge she had sitting on the side of the tub and dipped it in the water. Bringing it up, I brushed it along her bare shoulders, kissing each spot just before I wet it with the sponge.

I was busy wiping down along her sides when she reached up and untied the string behind her neck. The front of the bathing suit fell open and I was greeted with her engorged breasts, rosey nipples standing at attention, begging to be caressed.

I must have moaned or sounded panicky because Bella mumbled a quick apology and grabbed my hands, causing me to release the sponge. She brought them around her body and placed them against her breasts, cupping my hands against her.

"Bella, are you sure?" I asked as I kissed the indentation where her shoulder met her neck, brushing my thumbs over her nipples.

"Edward, I'm not, I don't think I'm ready to have sex with you, but I, I _need_ you to touch me."

"Oh, baby," I groaned as I placed hurried, open mouthed kisses against her skin.

I pulled her tighter against me, kissing up her neck and nearing her ear as my right hand traveled from her breast down her stomach, underneath the lower part of her bathing suit.

"Beautiful, can I…," I swallowed. "Can I touch you here?" I whispered in her ear, kissing just below it in a spot that I knew reduced her, and me, to a puddle of goo.

She whimpered and nodded, leaning her head back onto my shoulder as my hand traveled through her soft, damp curls and tentatively stroked up and down her lips. Soft, light touches were applied before I entered her with a single finger, causing her to buck against my hand and find friction as my finger pumped in and out of her. I added a second finger, bringing my thumb to her sensitive nub. By the time I added the third and final finger, she was already hovering on the brink of her orgasm and I was merely prolonging her pleasure.

Satisfied, I continued to caress her as she came down from the euphoric, post orgasmic high. I wish I could have seen her face, but hearing the sighs that were coming from her mouth were enough to get me by until next time.

After a few minutes, her breathing had returned to normal and she turned around in the tub to face me. She brought her hands to my shorts and undid the string. I grabbed her hands and shook my head, bringing them up to my lips.

"Not today, love. I want today to be all about you," I said as I leaned across the space that separated us and kissed her softly on the lips.

"But," I added, "I'll be sure to take you up on that next time," and I winked at her.

She pushed against my chest and stood up in the tub, grabbed her towel, and got out. She turned back around with the towel hanging limply around her body, the suit lying on the floor, and offered her hand to help me out of the tub.

I took the towel she handed me and wrapped it around myself. We both dried off before she entered her room to change and left me in the bathroom to take care of myself this time. I was still reeling from what had happened during our bath, using the memories to bring myself to a quick release. I hadn't been expecting her to be so forward, let alone to let me touch her at all. I would have certainly offered just to get in naked if I'd had any idea that we would get that far. Opening the bathroom door, I stepped into her room and saw her standing in front of her closet in only her panties. I watched her as I grabbed my clothes from my bag and got dressed in my jeans and t-shirt.

I left her in her room to finish getting dressed and stepped out into a now empty apartment. I pulled the stuff for our picnic that had needed to be refrigerated out of the fridge and repacked the basket. Bella came out of her room in a strapless sundress that had a string that came from the middle of the top and wrapped up around her neck. Her hair had been pulled back into a loose bun with a few strands hanging loose. I could never get over how stunning she was.

I picked the picnic basket up off the counter and followed her out the door before realizing she had no idea where we were going.

"Bella, don't you think I should lead since you don't know where we're going sweetheart?" I teased, wrapping my free arm around her and kissing her neck.

We took a leisurely walk to a beautiful, secluded part of central park that I found a few weeks ago. I pulled the blanket out, laying it on the ground underneath a big oak tree that sat in the back corner of the park.

Bella sat down in the middle of the blanket, getting herself situated as I finished getting things ready for lunch before I sat down with her.

We ate silently, sitting across from each other on the blanket, just enjoying the beauty of the day. When we were finished, she crawled over to where I was leaning against the tree. She sat back into me and I wrapped my arms around her, resting them against her stomach.

I had the entire week to think about us, how things had moved so fast and all the things I still wanted to know about her. I'd seen something in her chart after her check up on Sunday that was bothering me and I wasn't sure how to bring it up without sounding like the new jerk boyfriend.

"Edward, how many women have you been with?"

Haha, I laughed. "Actually I was just trying to figure out how to ask you that. Why do you want to know, and what kind of answer are you looking for?"

"The truth." She answered simply, "And then I will tell you whatever you want to know. I guess I just want to know more about your dating history, like have you ever been in love?"

"I've only been with two women before you. I've dated several, but I never slept around. I've always had a deeper connection with a woman before I shared such an intimate act with her. Bella, I see women that come in all the time, just like you and they don't react the way you did. They are devastated that they have made a mistake and are now paying for it. I just know that it's so much more emotionally charged when intimacy is shared on that level."

She nodded, "But Edward, I'm not alone. I know in the beginning I felt like I was, even though I had Ang and Mike. Now, especially since you've been in my life, I couldn't be alone. You came into my life just at the perfect time. If you'd come around any earlier I don't know that I would have been okay with accepting the fact that you wanted to be with me. I still have a problem imagining that you would want to be with me given my circumstances, but you're constantly reminding me that I shouldn't think like that and I love you for being so attentive to what I need."

She leaned her head back, angled so she could look at my face while she was speaking. I swooped down and captured her lips with mine.

"I'm glad you don't mind my attentiveness. Are you still curious about my past?"

She nodded.

"So, the first one…. I actually followed her after we met during the summer after my senior year. She moved down to Florida for school and I gave up a full ride scholarship because I was young and in love. My dad was so disappointed in me. He was always telling me that I was throwing away a great future. Anyway, that only lasted until the Spring, so he had been right and I think he still likes to throw that around every once in a while. She ended up cheating on me with an ex of hers that she was still friends with and I moved back, minus the scholarship to attend Columbia University here in the city."

Bringing up the subject of my father, I wasn't sure if she'd ask questions and I was relieved when she just let it pass by.

"So she was your first?"

"Yes. Bella, I didn't have a steady girlfriend in high school, I was actually quite the nerd."

This caused her to giggle before she spoke up.

"James was mine. That night, the night I don't even remember, was my first and only time having sex. I remember bits and pieces every once in a while, but not the actual act."

To say I was shocked was an understatement. I knew her records stated she hadn't had any previous sexual partners at the time she came in for her pregnancy test. I nudged her so she would turn around and face me.

"So then I suppose we could say you really haven't had sex since you technically don't remember it. I guess we'll have to remedy that, huh?" I asked, arching my brow.

I was ecstatic, if she had no memory of her night with James, that meant it must not have been that good, and she would only ever know being with me. This made me so much more anxious about being with her. This morning had brought so many fantasies to the forefront of my mind. I had planned on waiting just a little longer. I didn't want to rush it but I felt that in a few weeks when we attended Alice's wedding out at my parents house, we would finally be ready. But after seeing her confidence this morning, I didn't know if we'd make it a few more weeks. I wanted to make it special, and celebrating my love for her while my sister promised to spend the rest of her life with Jasper just fit.

I wasn't done though, "Bella, why? Why did you decide he would be the one?"

She shrugged but waited before she answered.

"Honestly, I think I was just tired of having it hang over my head. I know it's special, but I was just done. I wanted to have that experience and he was cute and I liked him and he was mysterious. It wasn't until after it happened and I found out I was pregnant, therefore knew for sure that we had sex, that I felt terrible, especially now that I'm with you. Now, now I feel so much more regret than I did at the beginning, when I really didn't feel anything at all. I wish I would have waited for you," she finished in a quiet whisper as she lowered her chin.

I kissed her forehead and each of her cheeks, then tilted her chin up and kissed her lips.

"It doesn't matter," I reassured her. "Bella, without that first time with James, you and I may never have met. So, as much as I would have liked you to have waited for me, it also brought you to me."

Lunging at me, she wrapped her arms around my neck, whispering what sounded like words of adoration and love. I couldn't wait until I actually heard those three little words, but even though I knew I loved her, I just didn't feel like it was the right time to tell her; and it was surreal knowing that I had only known her two weeks.

We stayed like that for a long time, well into the afternoon, just curled up with each other. I thought about other things we could do, a carriage ride, walking around the street vendors, but I was perfectly content to simply spend time with her. Whether in silence, or deep in conversation, today wasn't about what we did, but the fact that we spent the time getting to know more about each other. She'd answered the questions that I had woken up with, and that was all I had been hoping for. Everything else had just been a bonus.

* * *

**A/N** - so that little bathroom mini lemon wasn't supposed to be in there, it just happened. I love this Bella and Edward and I hope you're satisfied because it will be at least one more chapter before we get to the wedding.

Fic Rec(s): I decided this week that the two people that were freaking awesome and went through and reviewed every single chapter should get to rec a fic and here's what they had to say :) Links will be on my **NEW FIC REC BLOG**, so go check it out link on my profile page.

_KBacon_ says - I would love to rec MsKathy's O/S **How Many**. This is an Alice and Victoria FemSlash. I have to be honest and say that I haven't read it yet, but I did read her Smut Monday O/S **Meet the Parents** and that was OMFG, a story in itself the Bella and Edward, _ungh_.

_alieighy_ says - ...so many to choose from! Right now I have 3 favorites...you can choose which one you want to post:

**Tides** by lambcullen  
**Clipped Wings and Inked Armor** by hunterhunting  
**Poughkeepsie** by mrstheking

Bwahaha, I have read the first two, in fact I flip out when they update and in the chance that someone hasn't read any of them I went ahead and posted all of them because I knew when I was reading fics looking for my next fix *giggles* I literally fangirled all over the authors that rec'd them to me.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N - Sorry this one took two weeks to get to you guys, but I was working on my DILFward entry, so if you haven't read that go read it now! Writing a different story, with the same, yet different, characters made it much more difficult than I thought it would to get back to these characters.

Thanks to my beta Jessica1971 :) She rocks, along with TwiSherry who is great at telling me when she loves something and when she thinks if I add just a little bit it would make it so much better!

All of you that review, with such kind words, mean the world to me. The fact that you come back for more, *sigh* thank you!

* * *

_Previously  
We stayed like that for a long time, well into the afternoon, just curled up with each other. I thought about other things we could do, a carriage ride, walking around the street vendors, but I was perfectly content to simply spend time with her. Whether in silence, or deep in conversation, today wasn't about what we did, but the fact that we spent the time getting to know more about each other. She'd answered the questions that I had woken up with, and that was all I had been hoping for. Everything else had just been a bonus._

**EPOV**

While Bella and I were packing up our picnic lunch, I received a call from my sweet, but scheming, sister letting me know to bring Bella back to my apartment instead of taking her out for dinner. I had already planned on doing that, but knew I should find out exactly why she was making such a request.

"Oh, Edward," she said. "You know you can't keep her all to yourself. I helped you with her gift, don't you think you can thank me by letting us throw her a surprise party?"

I had to step away while Bella finished and tell Alice that I didn't think it would be a good idea, in light of what I'd found out. She told me not to worry, that they didn't have an ostentatious banner or anything, just a family dinner at my house.

I knew Bella wouldn't necessarily be interested in seeing everyone, I definitely didn't want to have to deal with Rose just yet. Anytime I thought about it, I wished I could just go back, but I knew that wasn't possible. I knew that Carlisle wasn't my dad, but that's the thing - he was. He was my dad in every sense of the word. I wasn't happy that they didn't tell me, but I bet if I hadn't ended up with Bella under these similar circumstances, they wouldn't have ever told me.

I looked back over towards the tree where Bella and I had spent the afternoon and watched her as she folded the blanket before grabbing the picnic basket and lifting her head to look for me. Knowing that she was anticipating my return made my love for her grow, the feelings that were always present went into over drive as I approached her.

Walking away from the park hand in hand, I mentioned that I'd like her to come over because I still had some surprises up my sleeve. She rolled her eyes, but willingly agreed. As we arrived back at her building, we loaded the things in my car and set out in the evening traffic towards my apartment.

**BPOV**

Today had been wonderful, as far as birthdays go; I certainly couldn't complain. I think it probably ranked at the top, not just in birthdays, but in the ten best days of my life. Edward had been so wonderful today - the breakfast in bed, the bathing suit that was sexy but covered my ever growing baby bump, and then the bath. I don't know what had gotten into me. I was eternally grateful that Alice had helped him plan this morning and thought of the fact that I'd love to use my bath but probably wasn't ready to be naked with him, which had been true until we had actually sat down in the steaming hot water together. I knew there was an air of electricity that flowed between Edward and I on a daily basis when we were near each other, but anytime I am sitting with him and my body is touching his, I just can't describe the pull my body has for him.

His hands were nowhere near my erogenous zones, but I just knew that I wanted him to touch me. Everywhere. I wanted to feel his hands on my body, with the main focus on my most sensitive parts. So I had reached back and untied my top. The relief and the longing that Edward had elicited as he began to touch me was amazing. I had been pleasuring myself for years, but hadn't ever had it done by a guy. Although, I was beginning to wonder if James had touched me like that. But I certainly didn't have a reaction like I did to Edward when I touched myself.

If I could wake up to that every day, I would die a happy woman. We were sitting in stand still traffic on 42nd street, so I brought up the conversation I'd been avoiding all day.

"Edward," I said as I reached over and placed my hand on his thigh. He looked at me, so I continued. "I wanted to talk to you about last Monday, about the things that were talked about and the, um, thing that wasn't really talked about."

I felt his leg tense up, so I rubbed my hand all around the top of his leg to soothe the tension that had been building.

"What do you want to know?" he asked cautiously.

"How are you dealing with it? That was a pretty big thing you found out, and not just in front of your family, but Jake and I as well."

He shook his head and grasped my hand, stilling it on his leg.

"I'd love to say I'm doing fine, which on the outside I am. But I haven't had a chance to talk to Carlisle or my mother yet, so things are still a huge mystery to me other than the most obvious one. It's not so much the fact that Carlisle isn't my dad, because he is. But the fact that they didn't tell me or anyone about it. I mean, what if my dad had needed a blood transfusion and because he has this rare blood type Alice, Emmett or I would have been the most likely match for him. I just feel like I probably would have found out eventually. And why did they wait so long? They should have told me, right?"

"Yes, you're right." Watching Edward deal with this gave me an idea of what could happen if I chose not to tell my child about his or her father. I hated what it was doing to the calm and collected Edward that I saw most of the time.

"You know, I was wondering earlier if my parents would have even told me if it weren't for you and the possibility that I could eventually be raising a child that isn't mine," Edward commented. I had been thinking about this, how important it may be to Edward someday if he is put in a circumstance where he is raising a child that isn't his, especially if we stay together and he helps me raise mine.

"I can't imagine what you're going through, Edward, but I really want to help you in whatever way you need me."

"I know, beautiful, and really, you just being here with me helps. Not turning around and walking out after the way Rose treated you that day... I would have never forgiven myself if this would have ended before it even began. I do need to warn you that when we get to my apartment, I have no idea what's on the other side of that door. And as for the whole Carlisle isn't my father thing, I want to talk to my mom before we discuss it more, okay?"

I leaned over the middle console and gave him a kiss on the side of his mouth.

"Whatever you want," I told him as I sat back in my seat. "But tell me more about what, or whom, we are expecting when we get to your place."

Edward briefly described his phone call with Alice and how she insisted that we all have dinner at his apartment. I don't know why, but I sensed that he was expecting me to freak out. I was actually excited to spend some more time with Alice; I really thought we would be great friends. She was exactly the kind of overly happy person I needed in my life when I was feeling all emotional due to the pregnancy. She had mentioned a place for Jake and I to stay on Monday and that would be an answered prayer if we could get something relatively low cost. And if it's closer to Edward, that's just a great bonus.

When we arrived at his apartment, I was greeted with the smell of tacos. At first it made my mouth water, but then it made my stomach stir and caused me to gag a little. One of the things I hated about being pregnant was the gag effect. Esme stepped out of the kitchen to give us hugs and kisses before quickly reentering the kitchen.

I saw Rose sitting in the living room with Emmett when we walked further in. I timidly smiled at them as they got up to greet us. Emmett gave the two of us a hug at the same time and whispered that Rose wanted to speak with me privately. I looked up at Edward and he gave me a quick nod and a kiss before I led Rose back to Edward's bedroom so we could have some privacy.

We walked in the bedroom and as I sat down on the bed, she shut the door, taking a seat next to me. She hunched over and placed her head in her hands; as her shoulders started to shake, I realized she was crying. I lightly draped my arm across her shoulders and waited for her to start, quietly soothing her as I rubbed her shoulder.

She sniffled a few times, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before looking up at me. I saw a broken woman and I had no idea why she was choosing to confide in me when she had an entire family that loved her.

"Bella, I am so sorry about Monday. I wish I could say that it was just the pregnancy hormones, but I know it wasn't just that. And I don't hate you," she sniffled. "I _do _see how happy you make Edward. It's just, I've been around a long time and I don't want to see him get hurt and I was afraid you had a lot of baggage that you were bringing to the relationship and our family, which I've been told isn't true from various members of the family. But that's not the reason I was a blunt bitch. I usually have a better filter than that, or I like to think I do."

I laughed a little, "Yeah, I think my filter has been a little off since I got pregnant, too."

Her laughter, although it was small, warmed my heart because I really didn't want to have our first meeting be the thing I always remembered her by.

"I lost my modeling contract because I'm pregnant 'again,'" she said with air quotes. "Apparently they just don't think I will be able to handle it and aren't interested in working with me anymore."

"But if it's a contract, aren't you legally bound to them and they can't break it without it being a loss for them, too?"

She snorted, "Oh, it will be a loss for them alright, but they did it anyway. I found out the morning we went over to Carlisle and Esme's and hadn't even had a chance to tell Emmett, but he knew something was wrong. I mean really, who makes a call like that on Labor Day? I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't have an excuse for being such an evil bitch to you the first time we met, and I hate that being your first impression of me."

I nodded.

"Do you think we could start over and have today be our first meeting?" she asked as she looked up at me through her lashes.

"I think I like that idea, but only if I get a redo one day, too."

She smiled at me and stood up from the bed, walking in to Edward's bathroom to freshen up. I headed towards the door, opening it to find Edward pacing in the hallway. I watched him walk the path that led away from me, running his hands through his hair and over his face. He must have been really worried about what could happen in that room.

He turned around and immediately his strong arms enveloped me in a hug, breathing me in.

"Are you alright? What did she say? Was she nice?" he asked as he brought his lips to mine and kissed me with a fierce passion that wasn't nearly as romantic with all his questions running through my head.

I pulled back, smiled, and gave him a quick kiss.

"I'm fine, she was very nice, poor girl is just going through a hard time right now. Did you know she lost her modeling contract?"

He shook his head, but didn't release his hold on me.

"Edward, she apologized, because apparently it happened that day, which is why she wasn't being nice to Emmett in the morning and then reacted that way with me. Remember you said that Emmett had been complaining about her emotional ups and downs? She did mention something about me possibly having a lot of baggage, which is true to a certain point, but she didn't know the whole story. We're okay. She's your sister, just as much as Alice is, and I think I just might need her help with all this pregnancy stuff."

"And she understands now?"

"Yes," I said as I kissed him. "I think other members of your family that know, like Esme, had a talk with her. Now, can we go see what Alice brought for dessert? I really want to eat so we can get to dessert."

We walked into the kitchen where the rest of the family had gathered, making it overly crowded as everyone filled their plates and poured their drinks.

I grabbed two plates and handed one to Edward as we got in line, but he kissed me on the cheek and asked if I'd make him one with no tomatoes while he got the drinks. _Seriously_? If it didn't make me a little excited that he was treating me like his long time girlfriend, instead of just a newbie, I might have said something about how piggish that sounded.

Rose finally stepped into the kitchen just as Edward and I were leaving and Emmett was refilling his plate after already devouring his first. I swear, how he played baseball and not football was beyond me. She whispered to Emmett as they glanced our way and he wrapped her in a hug, smiling at me and mouthed thanks. I nodded and followed Edward into the dining room where there was already a conversation in full swing.

They were discussing the upcoming nuptials, totally leaving out the fact that today was my birthday and the reason for this impromptu get together, which I appreciated more than they would ever know. They were currently discussing when everyone would be arriving at the Hampton House for festivities. Apparently, as a member of the family, Edward would have to be there by mid-day Thursday if at all possible.

Edward hadn't officially invited me, so I didn't say much as they made plans about who was staying in which room when Edward mentioned that we would stay in his room. I turned to look at him as he continued with the conversation. Finally, he looked at me, saw I was staring at him, and asked me what I was staring at.

I leaned into him as he leaned towards me, wrapping his arm further around my shoulders.

"You never asked me to go with you."

"Well I just assumed that-"

"You can't assume, Edward. Even if I wanted to, I don't know if I can take two days off of work this close to the end of my internship," I whispered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked as he tried to keep his voice down.

"What?"

"Even if you wanted to? Do you not _want_ to go to Alice's wedding? All you had to say was no."

I laughed, "Oh my God, Edward, that is not what I meant. Aren't I supposed to be the one with the overly sensitive feelings?"

I grabbed his face in between my hands and gave him a kiss on his pouty lips, sighing. "Edward, I meant that even if I wanted to take off of work, I don't know if I could. I can't wait to go to Alice's wedding with you and spend the entire weekend at your parents house. I just wish you would have asked me without _assuming_ that I _could_ go."

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling my chair closer to his and burying his face in my neck.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he kissed just below my ear.

"It's okay, I just don't understand why you got so worked up about it."

"We'll talk about it later," he said as we glanced around the table at his family who were all completely ignoring our side conversation. All except Esme, who winked at us before asking who was ready for cake.

Everyone agreed, with the exception of Edward, so when Esme asked him he replied that he'd just share a few bites with me. _Yeah right, share with a pregnant woman. _I'm surprised Emmett didn't laugh in his face. When Esme brought out the plates, she set a plate with two forks in front of us and I pulled it in front of me so I could devour it. It was so good. All the chocolate layers, with the white vanilla icing, and the hidden chocolate chips that melted in my mouth. I had closed my eyes while I was enjoying the rich chocolate taste and when I opened them, I witnessed Edward taking the last bite off my plate as he stuffed it in his mouth with a smile.

I leaned over to him and ran my hand along his thigh, dangerously close to his crotch and whispered, "You'll pay for that later."

After dinner, Alice and Esme cleaned up while the rest of us gathered in the living area. The guys, including Carlisle, immediately started roughhousing and I told Rose that I hoped my first was a girl and Edward turned to me frowning.

"Hey! What's wrong with a boy?" he shouted.

I just shook my head as we continued to watch the live wrestling show in front of us.

Everyone eventually left, with the exception of Esme and Carlisle, and promised to be back sooner rather than later, but that they'd probably see us the weekend of the wedding.

Carlisle shut the door, turned around and shared a quiet moment with Esme, before indicating with his arm that we should all head into the living area.

I took a seat next to Edward on the sofa while Esme and Carlisle sat opposite us on the love seat.

You could hear the ticking of the clock as it slowly approached nine o'clock. We listened to the sounds of the New York traffic outside the open window; Edward wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his side as we waited.

Carlisle finally spoke, "Well, I guess we could start with your questions, or we could just give you our side of the story."

The conversation didn't last all that long; it was relatively short as Edward asked them about his father. They told him that he didn't know him, that he'd been around for a little while when Edward was younger, but just as a colleague of Carlisle's, nothing more than than another of 'daddy's friends' to Edward. Esme didn't go into the details of her affair, even though I knew I was curious, and was pretty sure Edward was, too. I hoped that someday in the future she would feel like she could confide in me. Carlisle and Esme had such a good marriage that I couldn't imagine their relationship hitting a rough patch.

They described their reasoning behind not telling him when he was little and fully intending on telling him when he turned 18, but because he was following his girlfriend Elizabeth at the time, he unfortunately wasn't around for important matters. They also agreed that it gave them an excuse to postpone telling him, but that it was still wrong. We talked about the similarities and differences in Carlisle being Edward's dad and how it would be if Edward and I happened to make it that long, which I certainly hoped we would. They asked the important questions, like whether or not we were sure about our decision to jump so quickly into a relationship. They also asked what we were going to do about the fact that Edward was one of my doctors, and Edward quickly replied that Addison already knew, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Had Edward and I even discussed the longevity of our relationship? I thought he had dropped hints here and there about the future, but was this really something he wanted forever? Was it something I wanted forever? _Yes._ It was definitely something I wanted forever. Everything seemed to happen so fast, that I constantly forget that we've only been together for two weeks when it seems like so much longer. It feels like I'm talking to him constantly, but then other times I feel like I don't get to talk to him enough.

We discussed the fact that I had yet to get an ultrasound done and that Esme was eager to have a picture of the baby. I told Edward that I hadn't scheduled an appointment yet, but I wanted to get it done before the wedding, which was two weeks away. He assured me that we still had plenty of time. Esme and Carlisle decided it was time for them to go since it was now after ten. As we walked them to the door, Esme wrapped me tightly in her arms like she had every other time before.

"If you need anything, or if Edward gives you _any_ trouble, please let me or one of the girls know. You're one of us now, and we take care of our own."

* * *

A/N - I wrote a O/S for the DILF contest, in case you didn't catch that up at the top :) and I would encourage you to read it if you like my writing style :) It's called **Permanent and Unbreakable** and it's about a tatted DILFward! Voting ends tonight, link on my profile!

Another Rec is for **Embodiment** by _Cullen312_, it's an AU where Edward is the human and Bella is the vamp. It is sooo good :) **DON'T FORGET easy way to link to Fic Rec(s) is on my PROFILE PAGE!**

Just an FYI really, but this story won't have a lot of angst in it for a while. I don't typically favor it, because frankly if I had to write a story filled with a lot of angst no one in my RL would want to spend time with me, ever. I get way too emotional over fanfic *rolls eyes* but it's true. I've read stories where one of the Cullens die and it killed me for days when I would think about it.

I'm currently working on the Erotic Esme Contest, so it will be another two week update probably...just sayin' :) I hope you had a great weekend!


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks to TwiSherry for looking this chap over for me, I 3 you! And Jessica1971, seriously don't know what I would do without you. Mwah~

Twilight Gives Back - We're using our fandom for good. Go to thefandomgivesback blogspot com to find out more!

_

* * *

_

_Previously_

_As we walked them to the door, Esme wrapped me tightly in her arms like she had every other time before._

_"If you need anything, or if Edward gives you __any trouble, please let me or one of the girls know. You're one of us now, and we take care of our own."_

********

I sat on the exam table waiting for Addison to bring in the technician, eager to get this appointment over with because I had some things I needed to do before my meeting at work tomorrow. Edward was standing beside me pulling pens out of one pocket of his white coat only to place them in the other pocket.

"Are you nervous?" I asked.

"No, why would I be nervous?" he scoffed.

"I don't know, you're just kind of antsy, that's all," I said with a shrug. "Can I ask you a question about something you said the other day?"

He grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips, calming himself. "Sure, beautiful."

"When I was joking with Rose about wanting a girl, did you mean anything with your comment about boys?"

"Other than the fact that I want a boy?" He shook his head. "No."

"So that's something you've thought about then?"

"Well, yeah. I always thought I'd have a little boy first."

"I...I guess, I just didn't think that you had thought about what I would have."

He laughed as he stepped between my legs. He actually laughed as I sat there nervous as I could ever imagine being.

"Bella, I know this is awfully early and that's why I haven't brought it up in the past few weeks that we've been together, but, sweetheart, I have every intention of being with you for a very long time."

He ducked his head and it was my turn to use his signature move and lift his chin up so that I could look into his eyes.

"Edward," I breathed as tears formed behind my eyes. I placed my hand behind his neck and brought his face to mine, kissing him lightly on the lips.

"I know it's crazy," he whispered.

He kissed me again as Addison walked in, followed closely by the technician, and smiled at us.

"Edward, I thought you were done with your shift," Addison said.

"I am."

"Then why don't you go hang up your coat while we get Bella settled."

He sighed and looked at me, so I nodded. "Go, I'll be here," I assured him.

Edward kissed me on the lips one more time before he walked out of the room.

"What?" I asked as Addison smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing, I've just never seen him like this. That man is completely head over heels for you, and nervous as can be about this appointment. You should have heard him talking to Carlisle over lunch yesterday. You would think this would be second nature to him, but because he's now on the other side of the desk, so to speak, he just can't get over the fact that you want him here with you for this. Now undo your jeans, lay back, and lift your shirt so I can put this gel on your stomach."

I didn't get a chance to respond because Edward was already back in the room and took his position, taking my hand in his as Addison and the technician prepped my stomach.

I gasped as the cool gel hit my overheated skin.

"Are you okay, love?" Edward asked me as he leaned down to kiss me on the cheek.

"Yeah," I breathed. "It's just cold."

The gel was rubbed along the small swell of my stomach with the wand of the machine and a faint heart beat could be heard. This tiny fluttering sound continued to beat throughout the room as Edward and I watched the motion on the screen.

In my emotional state, I blinked back tears as Edward reached out and touched the screen.

**EPOV**

I'd been in countless sonogram visits, witnessed dozens of mothers and fathers as they watched their baby for the first time, but I'd always been there as their doctor.

I reached across Bella and ran my hand over the image of the baby on the screen. Her baby, and if she'd let me, our baby. It was so small, but active as the wand moved around Bella's stomach. I looked down at the beautiful woman lying next to me and witnessed a first for me. I'd been in the room with emotional mothers, but never was I the man that was there to comfort them.

I placed my hand against her cheek and ran my finger against her full bottom lip. Wiping a tear from her cheek, she looked at me and I knew I couldn't wait to share my love for her. I had already told her I planned on forever, wasn't a mention of forever typically accompanied by those three little words? I don't know why, or how long, I would wait before I told her. I continued to look between her and the screen, grateful that I was able to share this with her.

The tiny heartbeat stopped as Addison removed the wand and grabbed a tissue to clean off Bella's stomach, but I smiled and grabbed her hand, assuring her that I could take care of it.

I wiped the gel off of Bella's stomach and ran a cool rag with soap on it to actually clean the goo off. Before I pulled her shirt down to cover her stomach, I kissed her tiny bump.

She sat up and I helped her off the table; she started to walk out and I raised my eyebrow at her.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just didn't know you were so comfortable walking out into the waiting room with your pants undone."

Her cheeks flushed scarlet as she reached down and struggled a little to button her jeans.

"Have you gone shopping for maternity clothes yet?"

She shook her head.

"Is there a reason?"

"No, I was just putting it off as long as I could."

"Why? I thought you enjoyed shopping."

"I do. But shopping for maternity clothes is different. It's admitting that my skinny clothes no longer fit and that I've gained weight. You wouldn't understand."

"On the contrary, I think I do understand. But it's not like you gained weight because you're getting fat and lazy, Bella. You're growing another person in here, and that is something that's beautiful. And you're not fat," I assured her. "I can also tell you from experience, well not experience, but from what I've seen," I chuckled, "with how little you're showing right now, you'll probably only gain weight in your stomach, and people won't be able to tell you're pregnant from the back."

**BPOV**

"Really?" I squealed as I wrapped my arms around his stomach.

"Yep. So are you opposed to doing a little shopping for some maternity clothes?"

"I thought Alice said you hated shopping."

"I hate shopping with Alice, with you it'll be like my own personal runway show," he grinned.

Shopping with Edward wasn't like shopping with my girlfriends. He helped me pick out things he liked while I picked out the things I would actually wear. Once the sales ladies had eyed our selections from the maternity department of the finer department stores that Edward had drug me to, they got the hint and left us alone in the dressing room. I tried on a few of the items and looked at them in the mirror. I could hear Edward getting restless so I put on one of the outfits he picked out. It was a little black dress, which made no sense when all of the things I was picking out could be used for work to evening and this was a little too dressy for me.

"Bella, are you going to come out and show me some things?"

I zipped the side of the dress up and opened the dressing room door.

"Is there a reason you picked out a little black dress for me?"

"Oh, is that what it's called?" he chuckled as he watched me walk towards him. "I just thought it'd be something you could wear to the wedding this weekend."

And just like that, Edward helped me decide that I did need a little black dress after all. I don't even know how many outfits I picked out. As I was headed up to pay after the saleswoman took my stuff, I got to the counter and she was already loading things into bags for me. Edward was signing a receipt and I hope he realized that we'd be having a discussion about this later.

*****

"Good morning, Bella," my boss greeted me as I walked into our lounge room. We didn't meet in a board room like a lot of executives would at most companies; our meetings took place in a room that resembled more of a coffee shop, with a few couches, over stuffed chairs, and rugs clustered around a coffee table.

I took a seat as a few of the other girls from the office walked in. I recognized all but the last one to enter. She had strawberry blond hair and she was beautiful. I could tell she knew it, too.

"Oh, it's so good to be back," she said as she greeted my boss with a kiss on each cheek, taking the seat next to her.

"Tanya, I didn't think we were expecting you back until next month."

"Well, an editor's work is never done. Besides, rumor has it you're doing a piece on working mothers, and I know someone that might be interested in being interviewed."

I rolled my eyes, I was just waiting to see who she thought would be perfect for the piece. There was no way it was as good as my idea, well maybe.

"Oh really, who?"

"You silly girl! Me, of course."

My boss, Irina, cocked her head to the side. "Tanya, I think we're looking to go with someone that's a little more recognizable in the public eye."

I raised my hand and shared the idea that had been brewing in my head ever since Rose and I had that conversation.

"I have the perfect person, she's married to a former New York Yankee, has been a model for several years, and was just released from her contract because she's pregnant again."

The smile on Irina's face grew wide as she waved her hand in the air to silence the individual conversations going on in the room.

"Bella, please continue. Do we get a name?"

"Rosalie Cullen. I believe she's usually credited as Rosalie McCarty-Cullen, but if she does this piece, I think she'll want to start fresh and drop the McCarty."

"Hah, as if a little nobody like you could snag a high society model like Rose Cullen," Tanya scoffed at me. She looked around the room to see if anybody else doubted me. A lot of the women knew I was dating Edward. Even though his job was low profile compared to the others in his family, you couldn't be a Cullen without people knowing who you were.

"I'm sorry, Tanya, why is it so hard to believe that Bella could figure out a way to have Rosalie agree to do this?" Irina asked with a smirk.

"Please, you would have to have some clout to even speak to her. She's not just a model, she's a Cullen," Tanya scoffed.

I laughed at the ridiculousness that was spewing from this woman's mouth. It was obvious she thought highly of the Cullens, almost as highly as she thought of herself.

"I'm sure it won't be a problem, I just didn't mention it to her because I wanted to run it by everyone else first."

"I think it's a great idea, especially if she just lost her contract due to her pregnancy. You'll be seeing her at the wedding this weekend, right?"

Luckily Tanya had been looking away when she took a sip of coffee because she spit it out and the brown liquid was now all over her.

"You got invited to the Cullen-Hale wedding? That's a family and close friends invitation only event," Tanya asked incredulously.

Lauren, who had remained relatively quiet through this whole conversation, huffed. "She's dating Edward Cullen."

"You're dating Edward Cullen?" Tanya sneered.

"Hey ladies, sorry I'm late." Angela greeted us as she walked into the room, smiling at me and effectively ending the previous conversation. She had something going on out of town this weekend, so Jake and I had spent the weekend getting as many things as we could packed up, because after the wedding we could start moving things to Alice's condo.

I was leaving with Edward on Thursday morning and Jake would be coming after his shift ended on Friday night. I knew Jake was eager to spend some more time with Nessie; they were so cute together and I was excited he'd found someone to hang out with. They'd been talking on the phone whenever the opportunity presented itself and they'd spent a few evenings going out, but I didn't think they had made any declarations and I knew Jake was getting eager. He always was a one woman man, even in high school when he'd been with his first girlfriend Emily, who'd ended up cheating on him with his best friend Sam.

Angela had wowed so many of the people in our department, and even shown me a few things she knew about other areas of the journalism business. I knew she'd be one of the lucky ones to get asked to stay. If I wasn't asked back, I wasn't sure what I would do. I knew there were several places I could apply within the city, but who knew if they would be hiring.

The meeting was relatively uneventful after the initial conversation and I was given the okay to ask Rose about using her for our feature article.

I was walking out of the room as Angela grabbed my arm and pulled me back in, shutting the door after the last person left.

"Thank you," I told her.

"For what?"

"For interrupting Tanya, the evil woman was ready to make my life a living hell with the new information _Lauren_ shared with her, ugh. You should have heard the way she said it. I mean, it was like..."

"Bella, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I just got the best news and I have to tell somebody."

"Oh my God, Ben proposed?"

"No, but you know how I was out of town this weekend? Well, you knew I went to Chicago, but what you didn't know was that I was there for an interview at the Tribune. They're looking for a feature photographer, and while I never thought I'd actually be considered and let alone get the chance to be flown out there for an interview, they actually offered me the job."

"What? Oh my God, Ang, that's great. Congratulations!" I said as I enveloped her in a hug. "When do you start?"

"Well, I really need to talk to Irina. She's been so good with us about making sure we know that she's all for supporting us in whatever we decide to do, but I need to let her know so that if they were going to offer me a position here they can offer it to someone else.."

"Yeah," I nodded as Angela released me and opened the door to go find our boss and tell her the good news. What a day. I have no idea what was up with that woman, the one that just waltzed in here like she owned the place and tried to place judgment on me about the whole Cullen situation, both of them. Angela got offered a job somewhere else, I hadn't heard from Mike because his job hadn't sent him back to the states in weeks, and I was moving to a whole new apartment, with no idea what I would do if I didn't get offered a permanent position with Conde Nast . _Could I get a pity party for one__,__ please?_

I walked slowly out to my cubicle, ready to spend my lunch in a dreary mood because I was pregnant and I could. Rounding the corner, I couldn't believe my eyes. Edward was sitting at my desk, in my chair, in his scrubs laughing with several of my co-workers. When I walked in he got up and snaked his arms around my waist and gave me a chaste kiss on the lips. I could hear the collective sighs and the one shocking gasp that came from my right.

"Can I take my girl to lunch before I have to start my shift?" he asked as he gave me another kiss.

"Yeah," I responded with a giggle. _Amazing_. Without even knowing that I was having a pity party, Edward could make my whole day turn around.

He shifted, but kept one of his arms around me and led me to the elevator. I turned around in the elevator and as the doors were closing, I saw the look on Tanya's face...priceless.

"Is your boss still cool with you having Thursday and Friday off this week?"

"Yep," I responded as I turned in his arms and peppered his jaw with kisses.

"You know, we could leave Wednesday after my shift ends and I get a quick nap in. Then we'd have another night together," he hissed as I nipped at his Adams apple.

"Mmmm, or I could just come over to your place after work on Wednesday and stay with you so we can leave together in the morning."

"Really? I like the sound of that plan."

I took Edward to a quaint little deli just around the corner from the office. He ended up getting paged with an early delivery and our lunch was cut short, but he left with a kiss and a promise to see me on Wednesday once I got over to his place after work. When I got back to the office, there was a heated debate going on in my boss' office between her and Tanya. Tanya was livid, so I sat down at my desk to work as quietly and as quickly as I could. I had a few things to do to get everything ready for the article about Rose and wanted to have it all done by the time I left for the wedding. I had to get the contracts and everything worked out, develop some sort of theme to go along with her article, and I knew I wanted to be able to share it with her at the family dinner on Thursday evening so she'd be in an ecstatic mood for the rest of the weekend.

Things at work on Wednesday went much smoother, and I didn't see Tanya. Maybe they'd let her go, but I didn't think I was that lucky.

On my way home from work on Wednesday, I stopped at the dry cleaners for the few items I had dropped off to take with me to the wedding. They were the only things that I hadn't packed yet and I was eager to get over to Edward's. He'd offered to pick me up, but I told him I was fairly capable of getting to his place on my own and he needed the rest. Walking in my apartment, there was a fresh bouquet of daisies on the kitchen counter with an envelope. Inside the envelope was a note and a key to Edward's apartment.

_I don't know if you'll ever need this, but I don't want you to have to stand outside and wait for me to answer the door. The doorman knows who you are and has been instructed to let you up without any hassle. I can't wait to see you this evening and spend not only tonight, but the whole weekend with you__,__ beautiful._

_Always, Edward_

I called him on my way over to his place, but there wasn't any answer. As I walked up to his door to find it locked, I was glad he'd sent the key. I left my bags in the foyer and wandered towards his bedroom. He was still wearing his dress slacks, shoes, even his tie. He must have come home and just fallen right to sleep. I walked over to his bed and removed his shoes and loosened his tie so he'd be a little bit more comfortable, then went out to the kitchen to see what he had that I could work with for dinner.

He had a full pantry and I could see the fixings for spaghetti when the doorbell rang. I didn't know he was expecting anybody, so I walked quietly to the door and looked out the peep hole, laughing to myself. Edward always thought of everything it seemed.

There outside the door was a delivery guy and on the table where his keys were laying was exactly the right amount to give the young guy a nice big tip. I gladly took the food from him and sent him on his way. The smell of the Chinese food must have woken Edward, because he had changed into a pair of sweats and a well-worn t-shirt and was making his way towards me in the kitchen with a goofy, sleepy grin on his face.

"I'm glad I ordered the food before I left the hospital," he said with a yawn. "How long have you been here?"

Giving me a peck on the lips, he surveyed the food I laid out on the counter. We ate quickly, but not really in a rush to get anywhere. He offered to put on a movie in the living room, but I told him I was getting pretty tired and we just decided to call it an early night.

He pulled my suitcase and garment bag into his bedroom and placed them on what he referred to as my side of the room, complete with an already empty closet. Well, empty with the exception of a few items that I didn't realize he had purchased for me during our shopping trip.

Inside the closet, hanging next to the clothes for me, was a little onesie that said "I am loved" and had two stick figures holding hands on it. I changed into my pajamas in the closet while Edward finished packing his suitcase.

As I was finishing up my nightly routine in his bathroom, he joined me at the sink to brush his teeth. It really wasn't anything special, but it kinda made me feel like an old married couple getting ready for bed together. He followed me out into his bedroom and we pulled back the covers and got into his massive bed. He pulled me into the center with him and I laid my head on his shoulder, resting my arm across his abdomen.

As I was drifting off into a peaceful slumber, nestled in Edward's arms, I could have sworn I heard the most beautiful words ever spoken.

* * *

Shocking I know, I left you there. What do you think she heard, hmm? I'll give you a hint, it's three words...I wonder what she's going to do? *shrugs*

A/N - She's technically thirteen weeks in this chapter, so she missed her 12 week check up. AND if you were on the thread and paid attention to the teaser, you saw that I posted a 12 week sonogram which is a week earlier...but oh well. Try finding a 13 week sonogram. And it had a gender as part of the title, we don't know for sure in the story, but that's what I'm leaning towards.

_Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU reviewers!_ I got over 600 total with the last chapter. It amazes me I get some people saying one thing and I get others saying the complete opposite. I'm really enjoying writing this story, and hope you enjoy it as well!

Fic Rec(s) - Did you know I have a lovely little blog that has _summaries_, _links_ and even _naughty images_ that make me think of the stories that are rec(d) here? I do...heatherdawnffrecs blogspot com

So, go check out the following stories if you aren't reading them already :)

**SEALs** by _CarribbeanLady_ - OMG, my weakness is military men, but a SEAL yeah, it just doesn't get better than that. *fans self* Read it, you'll dream about SEALward!

**The Long Walk Home** by _bsmog_ - This is a fantastic fic set in the heart or the civil war. Love it, really the writing is witty and she really KNOWS these characters.

**Anything But Conventional** and it's sequel **Don't Ever Forget** by _kyla713_ - High School love and the perils of your man joining the army...it's really amazing...a fic I couldn't put down today!

Still working on Esme...that should post soon :)


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own Twilight or it's characters, but the storyline is mine.

LEMON(s) may be present in this chapter, just in case that's not your thing.

Thanks to my beta Jessica1971 for making me look good!

Important info at the bottom, and don't forget that you can read Esme's story for the Erotic Esme Contest. I titled it **Unfaithful Miracle** link on my profile page as well as the Rec(s) blog.

_

* * *

Previously_

_As I was finishing up my nightly routine in his bathroom, he joined me at the sink to brush his teeth. It really wasn't anything special, but it kinda made me feel like an old married couple getting ready for bed together. He followed me out into his bedroom and we pulled back the covers and got into his massive bed. He pulled me into the center with him and I laid my head on his shoulder, resting my arm across his abdomen._

_As I was drifting off into a peaceful slumber, nestled in Edward's arms, I could have sworn I heard the most beautiful words ever spoken._

**EPOV**

"I love you," I whispered quietly as the angel beside me drifted off to sleep. I tried to pull her closer, but she resisted.

She sat up and peered down at me, her hair framing her face she leaned down, bringing her lips to mine. I felt her smile as she pulled back and gazed at me.

"What did you just say?" she asked as she traced my lips with her finger.

I kissed her fingertip and smiled as I repeated the three words I had been anxious about for days.

"I love you."

Silence. The one time in my life where I was wishing a woman would say something and she says nothing. Of course, she's smiling at me so I would hope that's a good thing. I began to contemplate that I had said it too early and was surprised when she laid down next to me, her head rested in the crook of my shoulder and neck, and I could feel her breath in my ear.

"I love you, too."

Rolling to my side, we lay there facing each other. I didn't know what else could have made this moment more perfect. Well that's not true, but she was way too tired for anything physical and I didn't want her to think that's why I had told her now.

So I kissed her lips and brought our entwined hands to rest against my heart, closed my eyes, and waited for sleep to come.

**********

I woke up from the best dream, only to realize it wasn't a dream. Bella was currently placing tiny kisses all over my chest and was slowly working her way up my neck.

"Good morning," she greeted me with a kiss on the lips. Her hand snaked down to the waist of my tented boxers and she dipped her hand inside, curling it around my shaft.

"Mmmm, it is a good morning. What ever did I do to deserve to be woken up like this?"

"You told me you loved me, or did you forget that?" She asked as she pulled her hand out of my boxers so she could remove them from my body.

She glanced up at me from the foot of the bed and the moment turned from playful to serious as she removed her clothes and crawled into bed, tangling her legs with mine.

Shaking my head, I kissed her. "I couldn't forget that, because I do love you."

"I love you, too. God, it feels so good to say that," she smiled as she laid back on her side of the bed. She was now laying completely nude beside me, I needed to take full advantage of this opportunity to stare unabashedly at her beauty.

I leaned up on my elbow and peered down at her. This was the first time I had seen her naked and she was stunning. I was surprised that she let me leisurely caress her body with my eyes and didn't appear to be the least bit self-conscious. There were very few words to describe the way I felt about this woman and to see her bare before me, knowing that she loved me was overwhelming.

"God you're beautiful."

She brought her hand up behind my head, threading her fingers through the short hair there, and guided my lips to hers. The kiss deepened as her hips rose to meet mine. My free hand roamed the soft curves of her body that were becoming more prominent as she got further along in her pregnancy. She removed her mouth from mine and brought her lips to my ear, kissing along my jaw.

"Make love to me," she sighed.

Leaning back, I stared into her eyes, gauging to see if this was what she really wanted.

"Please," she pleaded. "I don't think I can wait another minute without having you inside me."

I ran the back of my hand across her abdomen, stalling, as I rested my hand against it and kissed her nose. After my sentimental moment, I palmed her pussy and ran a finger through her wetness, checking to see if she was ready for me. I continued to pump a single finger into her as I crawled over her body and spread her legs, laying down between them, removing my hand and feeling her heat against my stomach.

Sliding further up her body, I lavished her with kisses, taking a nipple in my mouth and lightly biting it. Hearing her moans and sighs as I paid attention to her was a sweet melody to my ears. When I made it to her neck, my body was aligned perfectly with hers and she shifted her hips, bringing my head to her entrance. With a slow thrust I entered her, pausing to let her acclimate to my size, but she wasn't having any of that.

She rolled her hips as she brought them flush with mine.

"Oh, God," I panted against her ear as she did it again, and I began to thrust in time with her rhythm.

"Mmmm, Edward," she breathed as her fingers trailed down my back and over my ass, giving it a squeeze as she pulled me further into her. "Right there."

We continued to move in unison, our bodies rocking towards our impending climax. I started thrusting faster and harder the more vocal Bella became.

I felt her walls flutter and clamp around me as she moaned my name while her orgasm consumed her. With a few more thrusts, my balls tightened and I came with a powerful burst inside her.

I rolled to the side, bringing her with me. Not ready yet to separate our bodies, I held her tight against me for a few moments longer before I slid out of her and heard her groan at the loss.

I watched her chest heave with each breath she took as she lay next to me. The morning light shone through the curtains and illuminated her body before me, casting beautiful shadows across her and the bed.

"I think I hear your phone," she said as she played with the hair on my chest.

"I know, I bet it's Alice wondering when we're planning on getting there today."

She giggled, burying her face in my shoulder.

"What?" I asked.

"At least her timing wasn't that bad."

"Yeah. How do you feel?"

"Blissful, a little bit like Jello. How am I supposed to feel?"

I shrugged as I turned to face her, bringing my ever present erection against her thigh. "Loved, satisfied, this was your 'first' time," I chuckled. "Is it something you'd like to do again?" I asked, rubbing against her.

She pursed her lips and contemplated before grinning at me, "It's most definitely something we _will_ be doing again, but not now," she said as she tapped my chest and got out of bed. "We have a weekend wedding to get to."

She walked across the room, completely nude, causing me to groan as I covered my face with my hands. What a way to start a long weekend at my parents.

**********

We arrived at my parents house just as my mother was serving lunch. When we were finished, Emmett helped me carry our luggage up to my room. I was up there getting a few things situated when Bella came in and laid down in the middle of the bed, with her legs dangling at the side.

"Your sister is so exhausting. Do you know what she said the minute you took off up the stairs?"

I shook my head as I turned to face her.

"She walked over to me all sly and cornered me as I tried to follow you up the stairs. The first words out of her mouth were 'oh my God, you guys totally did it.' I mean, really? How does she even know?"

I walked over to where she lay on the bed, stepping between her legs and leaning over her, bracing my arms on either side of her.

"I don't know, beautiful," I whispered as I nuzzled her neck. "You do have the glow of a satisfied woman."

She giggled and playfully slapped my chest. "Oh stop it, you're so bad."

"Is that what she said?" I asked as I stood up and pulled her up with me, bringing her to my chest and wrapping my arms around her.

"Bella?" my sisters voice called from outside the door. I gave Bella a kiss on the lips before I opened the door, letting my sister in and heading out to find my brothers.

We spent the afternoon helping Jasper move furniture around in several rooms of the house, according to the map Alice had drawn up for us. Why she didn't just hire someone to do this, I will never know. After a few hours we decided we were done for the day and my mother suggested we clean up and get presentable for the evening festivities.

I walked into my room and could hear Bella in the bathroom, humming to herself. I pushed the door open and saw her standing in a robe, but through the mirror I could see that it was open in the front and that she wasn't wearing a bra. I could make out the definition of her nipples through her silk robe.

I stepped behind her, placing my arms around her and brushing my fingers up her stomach to cup her breasts as I pulled her against me.

"Do you feel what you're doing to me?" I asked as I ground my erection into her back. I started to slip the robe off of her and bent down to kiss her shoulder as I heard Alice walk into the bedroom faster than I could cover Bella up.

"Edward, mom said she needs you to hurry up because you need to, oh my," she gasped as she took in the view in front of her.

"Alice, do you mind?"

"Sorry," she said as she turned around and walked back into the bedroom.

I covered Bella back up, thankful it was Alice and not one of the other guys in the house. But she was blushing, regardless of who it was.

"You okay?" I asked as I kissed her pink cheeks.

"Yeah," she giggled, "just embarrassed. What if that had been one of your parents? Or your brother and not Alice? You better go out there and make sure she's not scarred for life."

I raised my eyebrow to question if she was sure and she just nodded her head, turning around to resume getting ready.

"I'll be right back, don't go anywhere,"I said, which just caused her to roll her eyes at me.

I stepped into the room and Alice was sitting on the bed looking at a picture of us as kids that I kept on my night stand.

"You're so loving with her, Edward. I'm so happy for you." She looked up at me and I saw the tears streaming down her face.

"Alice, what's wrong? You have that with Jasper. I see the way he looks at you," I said as I sat down next to her. I took the picture from her and sat it down on the night stand, pulling her into a hug.

"I know. I just wonder, what if it doesn't last? I mean, Jasper and I haven't been together very long at all and I've only stayed with him a couple of times. What if we end up driving each other crazy?"

I laughed, I couldn't help it. From the moment Alice had met Jasper, she was so sure he was the one that she just knew it and he just went along with it. He was completely in love with her from the very beginning. I had no idea what had her doubting that now, and I wasn't sure how to fix it. I didn't have to think about it long, because Jasper knocked on the open door. When he saw Alice, he rushed to her, kneeling down in front of her.

I stood up and left them alone so I could rejoin Bella in the bathroom. She was standing in the doorway and together we watched the loving scene play out between my sister and soon to be brother-in-law before closing the door to give them some privacy.

**********

The party was nothing more than a gathering of friends and family that were already in town for the wedding where everybody spent the evening eating and drinking. Since Bella couldn't drink, I chose not to and we retired early for the evening. I figured since we were going upstairs early we'd get to have a little alone time, but that didn't happen. Bella was asleep before I even made it out of the bathroom. I climbed into bed beside her and pulled her to me. I didn't know what it was, but whenever I was around her I wanted to be touching her, constantly.

I was surprised to find the bed empty when I woke up. I quickly threw on some clothes and ran down the stairs, hearing voices in the kitchen. I walked in and there she was, in her open silk robe with her little nightie, helping my mom fix breakfast.

She smiled at me as I walked over to her and closed her robe, tying it together, causing her to laugh.

"What? I just don't want any of the other guys getting a glimpse of the good stuff. That's all mine," I said the last part as I gently bit her ear before giving her a chaste kiss.

"What's for breakfast?" Emmett asked as he came into the kitchen with his daughter in his arms. Izzy was staring intently at Bella and I before a smile graced her face.

"There's my smile, pretty girl," I said as she leaned over, reaching towards me. I gathered her in against the side that wasn't attached to Bella and held her small body against me. When Izzy was around she was either the life of the party or altogether ignored because she was such a shy, quiet child.

My father came into the kitchen to rouse the boys so we could help him with a few things outside in preparation for the parking mayhem that was sure to ensue at the wedding tomorrow; my father was nothing if not prepared. I handed Iz off to Bella and imagined doing that one day with another child, which brought a smile to my face.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Bella much on Friday because Alice required her full attention, or she was asked to look after Izzy. I was constantly keeping an eye out for her and she was doing the same. I don't know how many times I would look up to see her watching me while I was outside working. By late afternoon, we had completed our tasks for the day and dad released us to spend time with the girls. I ran up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time, anxious to get to Bella. After sleeping with her for two nights in a row, I couldn't stand to be away from her for very long.

She was laying in the middle of the bed reading when I walked through the door and plopped down on the bed, rolling towards her and kissing her on the lips.

"Mmm, hi handsome."

"Gorgeous, did you have a good day with the girls?" I asked as I stood up and removed my sweaty shirt, throwing it on the floor as I heard Bella moan.

I chuckled, "Is everything okay over there?"

I looked over to see Bella sit up, throwing her legs off the side of the bed. She reached over and pulled me by the belt loops so I was standing in front of her. With graceless ease she quickly unbuttoned my pants and slid the zipper down, shoving my jeans and my boxers low enough to release my now erect cock, and kissed the head. I barely had time to catch my breath before she ran her tongue along the length of it and used her hand to rub the bead of pre-cum around as she replaced her tongue with her hand and started pumping me with long, slow strokes.

She wrapped her lips around me and I watched as I disappeared into her hot, wet mouth. She was good. After a few bobs, she caught me off guard as she deep throated me and I was gone, releasing quickly in her mouth. She surprised me again by swallowing it before she released me, licking her lips and looking up at me as she did. Tease.

I ran the tip of my finger along her cheek, down the side of her neck and across her collarbone, stopping at the neckline of her shirt and pulling it so I could look down and see that she wasn't wearing a bra. Reaching down, I pulled her shirt off and watched her nipples pebble with the change in temperature. She leaned back and I removed her yoga pants as she lifted her hips.

"Maybe you should lock the door," Bella suggested as I stepped out of my pants. I quickly locked the door and turned to see Bella crawling up the bed and my semi-erect dick was now standing proud as I watched her ass sway in the air. Before she had a chance to turn around, I climbed on behind her, grabbed her hips, and pulled her body against mine.

"Please say you'll let me take you like this," I groaned as I ground my erection into her ass. She gave me all the permission I needed as she pushed her ass back against me.

"Are you sure, baby, I don't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable," I said as I reached between us, grabbing my dick and running it along her lips as I pushed into her slightly.

"Oh God," she moaned. "Mmm, besides how would I know if it makes me uncomfortable if we don't try it?"

I slid completely into her, leaning over and bringing my chest flush with her back. Pulling her hair to the side, I leaned down and whispered sweet nothings in her ear as I brought her to ecstasy. She moaned and writhed beneath me as we enjoyed this position before it was one of the only ways we _could_ do it. I slid my hand around to caress her stomach; every day it got a little bit bigger and I loved to witness the changes in her body.

Our time together didn't last long enough as we both reached our climax and collapsed on the bed for a short while before we got up to get ready for the rehearsal dinner.

I let Bella shower before I did, knowing that we'd be doing a lot more than showering if I joined her. It was like I couldn't get enough of her after being with her Thursday morning, declaring our love for each other, and then spending the past few nights with her. She was supposed to be the one experiencing heightened sexual drive, not me.

Bella came out of the bathroom wrapped in her towel and pulled a pair of lace panties out of her suitcase, then retreated back into the bathroom, leaving the door open and looking at me through the mirror as she dropped the towel. This, this is how she turned me into a crazed horndog that couldn't get enough of her. She had to know she was doing it, and when she winked at me, I knew she did.

**********

The rehearsal was beautiful and despite the energy coming from Alice, it was quite relaxing. I got to witness the love between my sister and Jasper as they whispered to each other while the preacher tried to conduct his business and keep the ceremony moving. I was so happy for Alice; seeing her tears yesterday was a little nerve racking. Alice was always so sure of her decisions, almost like she could see how things would end up. I was so glad to see that she seemed to be back to her usual self now as she blushed after they practiced their kiss for the hundredth time.

My eyes strayed from the couple under the canopy to the woman that had stolen my heart. She was seated between Jake and my mother, who had Izzy on her lap. The four of them were in their own little world as the ceremony came to a close. Once it was over, I made my way over to the ladies and sat down in the empty chair that next to Bella that Jake had just vacated walking with Nessie to the house. I wouldn't get to enjoy the wedding with her tomorrow, so as the others left to go back to the main house, I held Bella's hand and didn't move until we were the only two left.

"Tomorrow is going to be so beautiful, they are just so perfect together. Did you see them up there? It was so sweet," Bella said as she leaned into my side. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her head.

"It will be. Alice has been waiting her whole life for this wedding. She was always playing dress up and having one of her friends stand in as the groom. Her weddings were always so elaborate. This is actually scaled down from what I always imagined she would have. What about you, are you like most girls and have your wedding already planned in a notebook that you swoon over?" I teased with a chuckle.

She giggled and kissed the side of my neck, trying to distract me. "You can't ask a girl that."

"Why not, I'm curious."

"Well, like most girls, I guess I dreamed of an elaborate wedding, but I really just want something simple. What about you, do guys think about stuff like that?"

"Hey, Edward," Emmett yelled. "We're getting ready to eat man, stop making out with your girl and get in here. I'm hungry."

I grabbed Bella's hand, fully aware that I never answered her question. But how was I supposed to answer something like that without killing a future proposal? The rehearsal dinner ended up being just like every other family dinner we'd had at my parents house. Emmett was the life of the party and everybody ate way too much food, and after a quick game of charades we all went to bed.

Just like Bella and I had discussed the day before, the wedding was beautiful, although I didn't spend the ceremony watching the bride and groom. No, my eyes were on the beautiful brunette that teared up as my sister promised to love Jasper for the rest of her life. As they shared their first kiss as husband and wife, Bella turned to me and I watched her lips as she mouthed 'I love you.'

* * *

A/N - So...they finally said I Love You *swoon* I know a lot, if not most of you guessed it. All the reviews have been fantastic, thank you for taking the time to tell me how much you like this story. Hope you enjoyed the lemony goodness that our two love birds insisted on having in there. Did you like the whole thing in EPOV?

OMG over 700 reviews total, you guys blow me away. I just wish I had more time to write so I could give you chapters faster fir such awesome reviewing skills. Thank you seriously, you guys are amazing!

This chapter took an extra week to get to you because I entered a piece in the Erotic Esme Contest. **Unfaithful Miracle** is one of my rec(s) this week because I would really love the support and reviews during this contest that you guys so willingly offer for everything else I have done. It is a Carlisle/Esme & a Esme/Other Male Character so if that squicks you out, I understand :)

I've had some extra time on my hands and while I've been writing, making banners and working on the Anonymous "Out of this World" Contest that Twisherry and I are hosting, I've also finally read through **The Fan** by Pears13 and loved it.

I'm also trying my hardest to make it through the Indies First Time Writing Contest and found a really great story(among lots) called **Weighing In** by HEAR that I absolutely fell in love with.

The other Rec is from Charmie77 who left my 700th review!  
Charmie77 says - **Trust, Loyalty and Commitment** by _Belli486_ Is a unique romantic story that is out there with 12 chapters right now, with weekly updates...I'm also her beta...but LOVE the story!!!!

For full summaries and links, visit my FFRec(s) blog at http://www(dot)heatherdawnficrecs(dot)blogspot(dot)com - link on profile.

**The Twilight Fandom Gives Back**

*******Author Auction*******

**Just in case some of you don't know, I am also an avid banner maker for the fandom, well I wanted to let you know that I will be auctioning off TWO banner set(s) to the highest TWO bidders during the Author Auction November 15th-20th, so come on out and place your bids. A lot of the authors are offering some great deals, straight auction(bidding) style or first come, first serve. All proceeds go to Alex's Lemonade in support of fighting childhood cancer. Links on my profile page.**

**Please check out this site for more information: www(dot)thefandomgivesback(dot)com or go to www(dot)alexslemonade(dot)org/stands/19842 to donate.  
**

And a very special thanks to lolashoes, ninapolitan and tby789 for putting this together.


	16. Chapter 16

I have an awesome beta that got this back to me really quickly then I went MIA and didn't have internet access to post it, thanks Jessica1971!

* * *

_Previously_

_"Well, like most girls, I guess I dreamed of an elaborate wedding, but I really just want something simple. What about you, do guys think about stuff like that?"_

_"Hey, Edward," Emmett yelled. "We're getting ready to eat man, stop making out with your girl and get in here. I'm hungry."_

_I grabbed Bella's hand, fully aware that I never answered her question. But how was I supposed to answer something like that without killing a future proposal? The rehearsal dinner ended up being just like every other family dinner we'd had at my parents house. Emmett was the life of the party and everybody ate way too much food, and after a quick game of charades we all went to bed._

_Just like Bella and I had discussed the day before, the wedding was beautiful, although I didn't spend the ceremony watching the bride and groom. No, my eyes were on the beautiful brunette that teared up as my sister promised to love Jasper for the rest of her life. As they shared their first kiss as husband and wife, Bella turned to me and I watched her lips as she mouthed 'I love you.'_

_BPOV  
_

I had been to my share of weddings, but Alice and Jasper's was by far the most intimate. I sat a few rows back on the bride's side and had the perfect view of both the bride and groom as well as Edward as he stood up with Jasper. I was reminded again that I was extremely blessed to be here with Edward. As I had been reminded in my meeting, it was the opportunity of a lifetime to have snagged such a man as Edward Cullen. I never knew it could be like this, real love. I've watched hundreds of movies where the girl really ends up with the guy and they just fall in love, but never did I imagine that was reality or that it could happen to me.

The bridal procession began and we all stood up in our seats as Alice came down the aisle in the gown she told me she had designed the day she met Jasper.

_"Oh my God, Alice, your dress is fabulous. It's insanely detailed, look at this bead work."_

_"It is, and it hasn't been easy. I've been working on it for months. Every spare minute I had when I wasn't working on something for the line I was sewing another bead on or adding another stitch."_

_"But I thought, I mean, Edward said you and Jasper have only been engaged for a few months."_

_She smiled at me. "We have, I uh, I designed it the day I met Jasper. After mom introduced us I just knew he was the one and that _this _was the dress."_

_I watched Alice flit about the room in preparation for putting the dress on and Esme came into the room to offer her assistance. The two of them giggled as Esme fastened the back of the dress and looked at each other through the mirror._

I turned to look at Jasper as Alice stepped up to him and could tell his eyes hadn't left hers from the moment she started down the aisle. As the preacher began the ceremony and urged us to take our seats, my eyes strayed from the couple at the altar to the man I love. I really wished that he could have sat next to me for the ceremony, but getting to stare at him the whole time was the next best thing.

Before I knew it, the vows had been said, the rings exchanged, and they were exchanging their first kiss as husband and wife, bringing a tear to my eye. I glanced over at Edward and saw what I could only describe as love in his eyes as he watched me. I wanted to let him know how being in this setting made me feel, so I mouthed 'I love you' to him and he beamed at me.

Alice had planned the event so that they didn't have a big affair after the wedding. As much as she loved to party, she wanted to start her honeymoon instead. Their reception lasted about thirty minutes; the couple fed each other cake, Edward and Nessie gave their toasts, Edward looking down at me as he spoke to Alice and Jasper, the bouquet was tossed, the garter flung, and the couple was off to enjoy a two week stay on an island in Greece.

Edward had to be at the hospital by midnight, so we left shortly after Alice and Jasper. I spoke with Rose, suggesting that we get together for lunch sometime this week, hinting that I might have a possible need for her area of expertise.

As much as being around Edward rejuvenated me, I was completely exhausted by the time we entered the city limits and suggested he just drop me off at my place. He reluctantly agreed that he could use a power nap before his shift and suggested we make plans for Wednesday evening. We decided that he'd come over to my place and help me finish boxing some things up so that Jake and I could move into Alice's vacant apartment the following weekend. Edward had secured Saturday off, but Emmett had offered to help me and Jake start moving things on Friday evening. Hopefully we'd be able to get a couple loads in before the bulk of the items were moved with the rest of the Cullens, including Carlisle, Esme, Rose, and little Izzy.

Edward dropped me off with my bag at my apartment door and gave me a quick kiss before he was off, winking at me as he got on the elevator. I walked into the empty apartment and was thankful for the peace and quiet that surrounded me. I drew the curtains back and peered out at the city. I was excited to be moving closer to Edward, and having a place of my own made me feel like I'd made it, even if I did have to share with Jake. I was hoping to receive an offer to stay on with the magazine this week, but Edward had told me that even if I didn't I could just apply for other positions in the city.

I pulled my suitcase into the bedroom and sorted the dirty clothes into the laundry hamper when I heard my phone ringing. Thinking it was Edward, I answered without looking at the caller ID and was shocked to hear my mother's voice.

"Isabella Marie, why on earth did you not think it important to inform Billy and I that we were going to be grandparents?"

I groaned, why did this have to happen now. I was planning on telling them, calling them was next on my list right after Jake and I moved.

"Hi, Mom."

"Seriously Bella, why did we have to find out from one of Jake's friends?"

"What? Who told you?"

"Remember that girl Leah that was always after him? Well I saw her at the diner this evening and she congratulated me on becoming a grandmother. I just can't believe you didn't tell us before we had to find out through the gossip mill."

Leah. I didn't even know Jake talked to Leah. He must have told one of his friends and their girlfriend told Leah. She's always trying to start trouble.

"I'm sorry, things have just been crazy and I wasn't sure how to tell you." I confessed to my mom as I laid down on the bed.

"I didn't even know you were dating anybody, sweetheart. How far along are you? When are you due? Is there anything you need? When do you find out about the internship?"

"Mom!" I yelled. "Please, only one question at a time. Now, I'm almost 14 weeks along. My due date is April 1st. I don't need anything that I know of. I have a fairly large support system here. Edward's family has been so great and I do have my brother here, mom. I expect to find out about the internship this week."

I sighed, happy to know that her barrage of questions had been answered.

"And who is Edward, sweetheart?"

"Honestly Mom," I paused, "he's the love of my life."

That was all I needed to say to appease her. My mother was such a romantic sap, she congratulated me on finding _the one_, wanting to know every little detail about him. She asked about him being the father and I was up front with her, honest about the fact that Edward was not the biological father, but that he very much was and had every intention of being the father. She was beyond excited and promised that her and Billy were looking forward to meeting him sometime in the near future. She asked about us visiting them for Thanksgiving, but I just didn't see how that would happen with my work schedule. Either I would be in the midst of transitioning from an intern to an employee, or I would be looking for another position. She told me to be careful and not to let this one get away.

I got off the phone with my mother and, after doing a bit of house work, I laid down for the night. I heard Jake stumble in at some point just before I fell asleep and thought about how glad I was that he'd found someone that seemed to make him just as happy as Edward made me.

Monday and Tuesday were a bit chaotic. I met with Rose on Wednesday to see if she would be interested in letting the magazine do a piece on her, and she told me she'd love to as we set a few dates for her to be interviewed and a photo shoot date for sometime after Christmas when she'd be further along. She seemed a bit distracted and when I asked her what was up, she said she'd already gained more weight than she had the first time and that she was worried about the reasons why. I told her not to worry about it, that the research I'd been doing said that was common with your second child, and offered to maybe start an exercise routine together. We agreed that we'd meet up a few nights a week at the gym that the Cullens were members of and see how it went.

Edward called Wednesday evening to let me know he was running late and offered to pick something up, but wanted to know if anybody else was there to feed. I let him know that Jake was out with Nessie for the evening. Seeing as he'd been helping me pack all week, I'd suggested he take tonight off since Edward would be here with me. I threw in at the last minute that maybe Edward would like to spend the night with me since we didn't know what time we'd be getting done, and Jake assured me he was already a step ahead and had packed an overnight bag.

We didn't get as much packing done on Wednesday night as I'd have hoped because Edward and I couldn't keep our hands off each other. We hadn't seen each other since Saturday and were both feeling the pull when he walked in the apartment with dinner. I don't even know how we managed to eat or get any packing done. So when he offered to stay there on Thursday while I went in to work and see what he could pack up, I reluctantly agreed.

I was expecting Thursday to be a little easier of a day than the beginning of the week, but when I walked into my cubicle area and saw Tanya sitting in my chair, I knew it wasn't going to be anywhere close to easy. She smiled sweetly at me and asked how my meeting with Rose had gone. I grinned right back, wondering how she had even known about my meeting.

"I'm sorry, Tanya, but I don't see how that's any of your business," I said as I took my chair and started my morning ritual. She huffed and waited for me to acknowledge her further, but by ignoring her completely when my boss walked up, she took the hint and stormed off.

I told Irina how the meeting with Rose had gone, showing her the dates we had booked for various things and she suggested that I should be the one to interview her if I was interested. She asked if I had any journalism experience and I mentioned my love for yearbook throughout high school and college and told her I thought it was a great idea. It would certainly help me to get ahead in another part of the magazine.

"Oh, and Bella, congratulations," she said as she turned to leave.

"I'm sorry? Why would you be congratulating me?"

She turned back around with a puzzled look on her face. "Oh, Tanya was supposed to tell you that you were being offered a full time position on staff, she didn't say anything about that? Hmm, well, we'd love to keep you on staff. Please have a decision by Monday morning so we can get the paperwork taken care of."

I thought I heard Irina mumble "strike two, Tanya," as she walked off towards her office.

They were offering me a position with the magazine. I couldn't wait to tell somebody. I pulled out my phone to call Edward but he didn't answer. Angela walked in just as I gave up and I told her; she was absolutely thrilled and suggested we go out to celebrate this weekend. I reminded her that this weekend the Cullens were coming over to help me and Jake move our stuff to our new place and she apologized about forgetting, stating that her brain had been otherwise occupied with things. When I asked about specifics, she told me she'd let me know about it when she was sure, whatever that meant.

The rest of the day turned out better than it had started thanks to talking with Edward and Jake about being offered the position. He suggested that we celebrate this evening, so I wasn't surprised that he was there with Jake when I walked in the apartment. What did surprise me was that most of my furniture was gone, including my bed.

"Where the hell is all my stuff?" I asked as Edward enveloped me in a hug.

"Hi, honey," he said as he kissed me.

"Don't 'hi honey' me, Edward. I'm serious, I didn't think when I left you here and then when I talked to you two earlier today that you were moving my stuff. I still wasn't all packed and Em offered to help me with it this weekend."

He kissed me again. "I know, beautiful, but I finished packing the two boxes that weren't done this morning and Jake came home when he found out that he hadn't been scheduled to finish packing his bag," he chuckled. "I thought it'd be nice to get most of the big things moved today if we could, and Em did help us. He was here most of the afternoon, but Rose wanted him home this evening since he'll come help you tomorrow evening after you get off work."

I was completely floored, I expected to come home this evening to finish packing and spend the night with Edward again. Now that idea was shot and I'd be spending it unpacking and Edward was probably too tired to even spend time with me.

"So, um what is even left here?" I asked.

Edward explained that the few things I had left in the apartment wouldn't take much time or effort and I would have Saturday to unpack. I wrapped my arms around him as he led me back to my now bare room to make sure they got everything I needed for the evening, since we'd be staying at the new place.

"Wait, I'm staying at the new apartment. Are you staying there with me?" I asked, hopeful that his answer would be yes.

"Yes, I had planned on staying there tonight, but only if you don't mind that I have to get up early for my shift in the morning." He looked down at me as he finished the last part, his bottom lip pouted just a little. As if I was going to say no.

I leaned up and sucked his lip into my mouth, bringing my hands up his chest and around the back of his neck, pulling him further into me as I deepened the kiss. He lightly sucked on my tongue as it entered his mouth and rocked his hips against me so I could feel his arousal. I broke the kiss and pulled him out the door.

"We can finish this later. Is my bed set up at the new place?"

He scoffed at me and rolled his eyes.

"Good, let's go since there's not much else to do here. I can't wait to see it," I squealed as we locked the door.

That evening, we spent the few hours before bed unpacking after we ate dinner with Jake and Nessie. He was so cute with her. As she tried to explain about a few of their dates, he would just smile like he was the happiest sap in the world. We called it an evening around eleven and I noticed I had a missed call from my parents. Instead of calling them back because we were getting into bed, I told Edward about my conversation with my mom and that she couldn't wait to meet him. He was surprised that things had gone so well, and I guess I was too now that I thought about how bad it could have been. I think the fact that I'm not with them is hard enough that she doesn't want anything to stand between us.

We were laying in bed with Edward's chest against my back when he brought up that Alice had called and requested that we pick them up from the airport if we could fit it into our schedules.

"Really?" I asked as I looked over my shoulder at him.

He leaned down for a kiss, "Yes. She said they'd be getting in a week from Sunday and wanted to let me know so we had plenty of time to schedule our weekend around it. Should I tell her yes when she calls again?"

I turned in his embrace and wrapped my arms around him and nodded.

"Yes, please," I giggled.

He pulled back, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, you just make me giddy," I sighed, snuggling closer to him.

The next morning, Edward woke me up to kiss me goodbye as he headed out the door, promising that he'd be back when his shift ended. I told him that I didn't care what time he got done, that I'd like to wake up with him on Saturday morning.

When I got to work that morning, I was excited to tell my boss my decision. I hadn't wanted to tell her the day before because I thought that might make me look a little too eager to accept the position, and she knew I'd want to discuss it with Edward.

Irina was ecstatic when I told her I'd love to continue working there. She said that they were doing some rearranging and if my piece with Rose turned out as well as she thought it would, I'd be working my way up in no time.

I crossed paths with Tanya a couple of times on Friday. At lunch she sat at my table and tried to start a conversation about Edward, but I really didn't understand why. It's not like she knew him.

I called Emmett when I got home on Friday evening and told him I'd meet him at my old apartment to move the rest of my things. As we were finishing up the one trip we needed to make, I asked him about still coming over on Saturday. He told me that Esme and Carlisle were still planning on helping out, so I suggested that I fix dinner for everybody since all they would be doing was helping me unpack. He thought that was a great idea; the women could help me unpack and the guys could mount things on the walls and move the heavy things around.

He left shortly after the last of the boxes were placed in their designated rooms and I managed to unpack another box in my bedroom before I was too exhausted and fell asleep. I woke up sometime around four am to Edward removing my shoes and socks before he climbed into bed with me.

I woke up Saturday morning to the sounds of Edward moaning as he rocked his hips into me and I could feel his morning arousal thick against my backside. He must have been having some dream because he was getting louder, so I turned in his arms and thought I'd help him out. I slowly lowered my hands between our bodies and stuck my hand in his boxers to grab his length as I kissed him on the lips.

"Edward," I whispered, placing a kiss against the side of his mouth. When he didn't wake up I pushed against his shoulder with mine to get him to lay on his back. I removed my hand from his pants and he whimpered. I placed a kiss against his lips as I quickly removed my sweats and panties and pulled his clothes down just far enough.

Lifting my leg, I swung it over his body and straddled him as I lowered myself onto him. As soon as I had him sheathed inside of me, his eyes popped open and he grabbed my hips to keep me from moving.

Thinking I had upset him, I waited for him to speak, but was reassured when I saw the smirk dance across his face. He removed his hands from my hips and placed them behind his head as he nodded at me, as if to tell me to proceed. I began to rock my hips back and forth, but he stopped me before I could get too far in my rhythm. He tugged on the hem of my shirt with his finger so I swiftly pulled it off, leaving me only in my bra which I knew he'd want gone too.

I leaned down so his face was right between my breasts, popped the front clasp, and he took one peak between his lips as he began to move slowly in and out of me. He released that one only to show the same attention to the other, but I wanted more control so I sat back and began to ride him. He felt so good like this, although I don't know that having him inside me could ever feel bad. I felt so connected to him in this position. I looked down at his euphoric face. Placing my hands against his chest, I was able to lift myself easier and he brought his hands to my hips to assist me further. His thrusts came quicker as I neared my release and I could feel that he was close as his moans became louder and his words dirtier.

"Fuck! Seeing you ride me is the sexiest thing I've ever seen," he panted.

He reached up and palmed both of my breasts, pushing me to lean back just a little bit and I grabbed a hold of his thighs, forcing him deeper.

He brought one hand down my stomach and pushed his thumb against my mound, causing me to cry out as my orgasm hit and I clamped down around him. His hips stilled as he thrust hard into me and I felt him release inside of me. Collapsing on top of him, he mumbled something about being thankful that I was extra horny and I chuckled.

"What?" he asked as his breathing calmed.

"You don't remember your dream?"

He shook his head.

"Sweetheart," I said as I leaned back to look at him. "I woke up to you trying to hump me in your sleep."

* * *

Reviewers, you guys blow me out of the park. I'm glad I get to give you this little treat, earlier than I have been posting, to thank you for being so awesome!

Fic Rec(s) are posted on the blog www heatherdawnffrecs blogspot com so go check it out if you're looking for a new story!

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS?

The Fandom Gives Back author auction started today and we've already raised $10,000+, AMAZING! Go, bid on your fav authors & other cool stuff!

I'm not giving away anything with words, but I am auctioning off TWO banner set(s) with up to 7 things (anything you want), for deets http://thefandomgivesback proboards com/index cgi?action=display&board=photo&thread=74&page=1 (if the addy doesn't show up, link on profile!)

Why bid?

Did you know that every year over 200,000 children worldwide are diagnosed with a form of childhood cancer?  
We cannot ignore this shocking statistic impacting the youth of the world, and we certainly hope that you won't either. We need your help.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine.

Thanks to my fantabulous beta Jessica1971 and my prereading friends, love you ~mwah~

And to the reviewers, you amaze me every time!

* * *

_Previously_

_"What?" he asked as his breathing calmed._

_"You don't remember your dream?"_

_He shook his head._

_"Sweetheart," I said as I leaned back to look at him. "I woke up to you trying to hump me in your sleep."_

**EPOV**

"You're what?" I choked.

"We're pregnant," Jasper answered, smiling as he looked at my sister.

I was speechless. Jasper and Alice had arrived at JFK International around four o'clock on Sunday, so we stopped for dinner at a little Italian restaurant near the airport. When Alice and Jasper had come off the ramp, Alice was beaming. Bella and I had joked that it was the honeymoon, but after the waiter took our order Alice hadn't been able to hold it in.

Bella nudged my leg with her foot as she leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"Edward," she whispered, "sweetheart, isn't this exciting?"

I looked down at the beautiful woman next to me and her eyes alone had the ability to ground me. Without any effort on her part, she had become my rock.

Turning to Alice, I congratulated them, asking when they were due.

"Actually," she giggled, "I'm due on June 20th. Wouldn't that be such a great thirtieth birthday gift?"

"Yeah," I replied with a smile and glanced at Bella, not sure if she knew she was dating an old man.

Dinner consisted of the girls discussing their pregnancies and what Alice could expect while Jasper and I mentally prepared for the fact that our family would now have three women that were expecting, and the next several months would definitely be interesting.

And so far, it was.

The next month flew by and Thanksgiving was upon us. Bella was doing wonderfully. Her energy was renewed as she learned to deal with the ups and downs of pregnancy. She was showing more and more every day and I found myself constantly touching her, I loved to place my hands on her belly. I'd taken to sleeping at her place most nights; I had recently found it difficult to sleep by myself. I knew I wanted to have her come live with me, and I wanted to ask her to marry me, but I wasn't sure which I wanted to do first. We hadn't discussed marriage, but I needed to know if she wanted to be married before the baby, or after. That is, if she accepts my proposal.

It didn't matter to me which event came first. Of course, if we were married first, the baby and Bella would have my name. She was scheduled to go in for her next appointment tomorrow and we would be finding out what we were having. I honestly didn't really know if I wanted a girl or a boy more. Bella kept hinting that she wanted a girl, and I'd even caught her looking at pink baby stuff a time or two.

I worked my usual shift at the hospital and things were going quite smoothly, with the exception that Addison had been offered a position at a Private Practice in California with one of her good friends. I'd spoken with her, curious to know when or if she would accept the offer, hoping that she wouldn't until after the baby had been born. There were a lot of changes in the lives of our friends and family. Bella's room mate Angela had moved to Chicago at the beginning of November, leaving Bella a little sad that she had lost touch with a good friend. I assured her that we'd make a trip to Chicago to see Angela and have a vacation once the baby came.

Rosalie and Bella were developing quite the relationship and I worried that Alice would feel left out, but she had been rather busy adjusting to being a newlywed and had yet to make a comment. Bella and I were having my siblings and their spouses over for dinner this evening. My parents had offered to watch Izzy so Rosalie and Emmett could have a night to themselves. I could see Bella's form through the glass of her shower as she ran her hands along the curves of her body, pausing as she rested her hands on her stomach.

I toed off my shoes and removed my scrubs on my way to the bathroom. I gently opened the door and stepped in the shower, wrapping my arms around her waist. She jumped and turned in my arms, grasping onto my shoulders to steady her.

"Edward," she squeaked. "You scared me," she said as she stood on her tip toes to kiss me. Her tongue entered my mouth as she greeted me with her taste.

"Mmm, sorry baby."

Of all the times Bella and I had sex, we'd never been in the shower. Our schedules rarely allowed us the luxury of bathing together, and when they did Bella chose to use the tub that she'd grown quite fond of.

I pulled her against me as I placed kisses along the length of her neck, hearing her hum in pleasure. My right hand ran along the curve of her bottom, moving further down to lift her leg, hitching it over my hip. She rested it on the seat behind us. I bent my knees and placed my other hand below her bottom to lift her up. I held her against me, thankful that she wasn't yet too big to do it this way, and with a slight thrust of my hips I was inside her. She wrapped her legs around me, digging her heels into my ass. Her fingers wove into my hair as the water pounded against her back and streams ran down her chest. I lapped the droplets up with my tongue as I lavished her with kisses while we made love.

The steam from the shower enveloped us in our own cocoon and the sound of the water falling drowned out a lot of her moans. Bella had become very vocal during sex and I loved it, always silently urging her to be louder.

I could feel her walls fluttering as my balls tightened. With a gasp and a scream, she came. I cried out as I came with her, holding her tightly against me. I never wanted to let her go, and as I stood there I felt her body shiver from the coolness of the water.

I turned around and placed her on the seat, "Were you finished?"

She nodded, but made no move to get out of the shower. I stood there looking at her, half expecting her to get out because we had company coming over in less than an hour. When she still hadn't moved, I began my routine. I turned around looking for my shampoo because it wasn't in its regular spot and found her holding it in one hand with a dollop of it in the other.

She scooted back and patted the spot between her legs.

I sat down and placed my hands on her thighs as she wrapped them around me from behind. I felt her place her hands in my hair and moaned as she began to massage my scalp. It was heaven and oddly erotic and sensual, and I could feel myself growing hard as she focused her attention on the wrong head. When she was done, I stood briefly to grab the shower head so she could rinse it out.

She wrapped her arms around me after I was squeaky clean and rested her chin in the nook of my shoulder.

"That was amazing, but what made you want to wash my hair?"

"You're always doing something for me, and sometimes I feel like I don't have very much to give you," she replied quietly.

I looked at her and saw that she was looking down at where my hand was holding her thigh around me.

Nudging her chin with my shoulder so she'd look at me, I told her again how much she had already given me, mentioning the fact that not even six months ago I had been wishing for everything she was giving me, and now I had it.

We got out of the shower and dressed hurriedly before my family started showing up.

The girls took to the kitchen while the boys joined me in the living room for some Monday night football. None of us really cared the teams playing with the exception of Jasper because he felt the need to root for any team that was from Texas.

"So, Em," I said, "you and Rose came in for your ultrasound today and I never got a chance to ask you what you were having." I looked at him, waiting for an answer.

He had the biggest grin on his face as he swore Jazz and I to secrecy that Rose hadn't wanted to know initially, but when they got the machine hooked up they found out that she was carrying twin boys. He was so excited, but assured us that they were done after this. Emmett had always loved kids, backing children's charities ever since he had influence as an athlete and encouraging other sports players to do the same.

Rose and Bella were only a few weeks apart and at our appointment tomorrow we would find out what she was carrying and I couldn't stop thinking about it. The girls came into the living room, announcing that dinner was ready. Our conversation around the table was lively and Rose never said a word about the fact that they were carrying twins. I hated that I had to keep it from Bella, and was glad that once they left she didn't bring up the pregnancies. We lounged around for the rest of the evening before going to bed.

She got up and left for work the next morning. With a kiss goodbye, I reminded her that I would be at her office around noon to take her to her appointment. I headed to my apartment and spent the morning straightening up. It seemed so empty. With Jake gone a lot of the time due to his crazy work schedule, I didn't want to leave Bella alone so I was hardly ever at my apartment. I knew she was quite capable of taking care of herself, but I still worried.

By the time eleven o'clock rolled around, I was already on my way to pick up Bella. I would just sit and wait for her if she wasn't able to leave early. When I got there, I was informed that she was in a meeting, but that I was more than welcome to have a seat either in the reception area or at her desk if I so chose. I opted to wait for her at her desk, hoping to surprise her. I'd been sitting there for about fifteen minutes when a woman with blond hair approached the desk and sat down on the corner.

"Edward Cullen, so good to see you," she greeted me with a flirtatious laugh and a flip of her hair over her shoulder.

I stared at her with a dumb expression on my face, not sure how she knew my name as I'd never met her before. She was probably a Yankees fan and was trying to use me to get to Emmett. I'd had that problem with women before, but not really in the past year since a lot of his female fans had given up.

She looked at me, waiting for me to acknowledge her with more than a nod, but I didn't have anything to offer her. I was silently hoping that Bella would be showing up soon to relieve me from whatever this woman hoped to gain by being here when she appeared around the corner. She was looking at the stacks of papers that she held in her hands as she walked towards her desk and hadn't looked up to notice me. The woman at the desk tried again to start a conversation by introducing herself as Tanya but must have noticed that I wasn't paying any attention to her.

As Bella approached the desk I stood to greet her and Tanya stood as well, trying to escape before Bella noticed her, but was just a little too late. Where I was worried that Bella's face might show hurt or jealousy, she surprised me with the irritation and rage that were rolling off her. She kept her cool as she bid Tanya goodbye while grabbing my hand and leading me down the hall towards the exit.

"What the, I mean, I can't believe the nerve of that woman. What did she say to you?" she asked as she turned to me once the elevator doors closed.

"She didn't really say anything. She knew who I was when she approached me at your desk, but I don't remember meeting her. Has she ever said anything to you?"

She shook her head.

"Weird," I whispered as the elevator doors opened.

"I know, she acted like she knew you, but you've never met her?"

"I don't think so. I've met women that knew who I was simply because of my last name, but she acted like she'd actually met me and I should have remembered her."

Our conversation continued as I helped her into the car and we drove to her appointment. She asked about the women that had feigned interest in me, those that would finish the conversation asking about my brother. She assured me that they probably had been interested in me, too, but he was the face of the Yankee's, so they knew him, or at least thought they knew him. She laughed as I explained about the differences in the women. Some were definitely stalkers, while others were obsessed, and a few just curious about him. Some young and some older, more in the cougar range, which made her laugh even harder.

We were talking with Addison in the exam room as the technician hooked up the machine and ran the wand over Bella's stomach.

"Okay," Addison began. "You do want to find out what you're having, correct?"

I looked at Bella to make sure she hadn't changed her mind. We'd had this discussion a few times over the past few weeks and each time she assured me she wanted to know what _we_ were having.

_"Are you sure, sweetheart?" I asked her as I ran my hands over her naked back. She had curled up next to me after we'd spent the morning making love before we were expected at my sister's new place for her housewarming party._

_"Yes," she sighed. "I didn't ever not want to. You're the one that told me you kind of wanted it to be a surprise. Do a lot of people do that, want to keep it a surprise? Is that why you wouldn't want to know now? Does it change anything for the couple whether they find out or not?" she asked worriedly._

_I hugged her closer to me and kissed her forehead._

_"Of course not. I just never figured it to be a big deal. Izzy was a surprise and they plan on making this one a surprise, too."_

"Edward?" Bella brought me back to the present when she called my name and squeezed my hand.

I smiled at her and nodded.

"Yeah, we want to know what we're having," Bella said as Addison turned the machine towards us.

"Well, she's lined up really good for her picture this time. Congratulations you two, you're having a girl."

_A girl? We were having a little girl that would have brown hair and deep brown eyes like her mother? _I was imagining carrying her on my shoulders as we walked around the park when I heard Bella sniffling.

"Sweetheart," I wiped the tears off her cheek as she looked at me. "Bella, what's wrong? I thought you wanted a girl."

She nodded as Addison turned off the machine, mentioning that she'd have the picture ready for us in a few minutes and we were free to go.

"I, I do. It's just that, what if she doesn't even look like me?" she asked as she hung her head and her body was racked with sobs.

I consoled her, wrapping her in my arms as I assured her that the baby would most certainly look just like her. I told her that she might have some characteristics from her father, but that there was no way she wouldn't look at least a little like Bella. She was able to calm herself down a little as Addison came in with the picture. When she offered it to Bella before she put it in the envelope, Bella just shook her head before placing it against my shoulder. I took the envelope from Addison and helped Bella off the bed.

That evening Bella barely said a word. She had called the office and told them she was taking the rest of the afternoon off, and that she wouldn't be back until after Thanksgiving weekend. She came home and went to work on preparing the dish she'd told my mom she'd bring for Thanksgiving dinner. She wouldn't listen when my mother told her she didn't need to bring anything.

After the dessert was in the fridge and ready to go for the next day, she headed for the bedroom and I could hear her going through her nightly routine. I was waiting for the TV show I was watching to end when she came into the living room in one of her barely there nightgowns.

"Are you coming to bed?" she asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I didn't know if you would want me to," I told her honestly, knowing that I probably shouldn't have said anything just in case it made things worse, but I didn't know why she wouldn't talk to me.

She didn't say anything as she dropped her head and turned to walk into her room. She shut the door and I heard the lock click into place. I didn't know what to do. I knew I'd hurt her feelings but I didn't know how to deal with the silence. I could have gone home, but I didn't want her to think I'd leave at the first sign of trouble. So instead I turned off the show I'd lost interest in and headed towards the guest room hoping for a decent night's sleep.

I don't know how long I'd been asleep when I felt the bed dip as someone got into the small bed beside me. I knew who it was, but I didn't know if she would think I was awake or not. After she settled down and seemed to be comfortable, she kissed me on the lips. Instinctively, I reached my arms out and wrapped them around her as I pulled her against me.

"I'm sorry," I heard her whisper just before she placed a kiss over my heart and rolled over onto her other side. "I, I love you," she breathed with a shuddering breath as she tried to hold back her tears.

Sighing, I pulled her closer to me still.

"I love you, too," I whispered into her hair as I kissed behind her ear.

She rolled back over onto me, attacking my lips with kisses and rocking her body against mine. I kissed her back, knowing that I wanted to be close to her like this, but I eventually broke the kiss and pushed her away because I wanted her to know that her silence had hurt me.

"Bella, baby, why wouldn't you tell me what was bothering you this afternoon?"

"I'm sorry," she sighed.

"No," I looked down at her. "I don't want an apology, I want to know why."

She shrugged.

"You're going to have to give me more than that, Bella. Was it because of what you said at the appointment? Because you really have nothing to worry about."

She shook her head, but I didn't know what else it could be so I waited for her to continue.

"Bella, I can't read your mind, you have to tell me what you're thinking."

Taking a deep breath, she looked at me. "Edward, what are you going to do when she comes out and looks just like him. Are you sill going to want her?" she paused. "Or me?"

I grabbed her face between my hands and kissed her soundly on the lips.

"I don't even think that's possible, Bella. How could you even think anything like that? She's still part of you, and I don't just want you. I need you, so much that it physically hurts. Today was torture when you wouldn't talk to me. Bella, I know what you're going through must be difficult, but please don't shut me out. It only hurts us both."

"Okay," she said as she nodded and rubbed her nose against my shirt.

We fell asleep in the guest room that night and didn't hear the alarm that Bella had set in her room. Our morning was rushed as we ran around before we headed out to my parents. This was the first thanksgiving where I was bringing someone with me, and it wouldn't be the last. We didn't say much while we got ready, or even in the car. She apologized again and promised to try to not hold things in. That was enough for me, for now.

* * *

A/N -

* Hope the wait was worth it...we now have all pregnancies accounted for, yay! Do you guys like regular postings? My readings dropped once I wasn't updating once a week, so I'm guessing so, but if you're a writer, you know how hard it gets :(. As a reader, I don't really care about a schedule I just read it when it comes in. I mean, come on...I stopped cockblocking you! Hope you had a great Holiday!

* Fic Rec(s) - As always, OMG reasons and links available at heatherdawnffrecs(dot)blogspot(dot)com (link on profile page)

**Somewhere in Between** by _Kassiah_.

**It Was Only His Baby **by _Juliamine_.

And my BFF _TwiSherry_ has a O/S entered in the Inspiration is Key contest, go check it out! It's called **Where I Stood**, like the song by Missy Higgins (love her)!

* Don't forget about the Anonymous "Out of this World" Contest I'm cohosting with TwiSherry. There are also a couple Christmas Contests this month, be sure to check out the "Who's Under Your Tree?" I'm helping out with that one too!


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine.

Thanks to all the reviewers...over 1,000 reviews just blows me away!

My beta Jessica1971 I really don't know don't know what I would do without you, thanks for being such a great friend and beta!

An Exclusive teaser will be posted on TwiGirlsNextDoor(dot)com on Monday, so check it out!

_**

* * *

**_

_Previously_

_Taking a deep breath, she looked at me. "Edward, what are you going to do when she comes out and looks just like him. Are you sill going to want her?" she paused. "Or me?"_

_I grabbed her face between my hands and kissed her soundly on the lips._

_"I don't even think that's possible, Bella. How could you even think anything like that? She's still part of you, and I don't just want you. I need you, so much that it physically hurts. Today was torture when you wouldn't talk to me. Bella, I know what you're going through must be difficult, but please don't shut me out. It only hurts us both."_

_"Okay," she said as she nodded and rubbed her nose against my shirt._

_We fell asleep in the guest room that night and didn't hear the alarm that Bella had set in her room. Our morning was rushed as we ran around before we headed out to my parents. This was the first thanksgiving where I was bringing someone with me, and it wouldn't be the last. We didn't say much while we got ready, or even in the car. She apologized again and promised to try to not hold things in. That was enough for me, for now._

_**BPOV**_

"Okay girls, we each have a mission to accomplish. It's not like we have weeks to finish buying our gifts, no. We have two, count them two days," Alice said as she waved two fingers in front of Rose and I. She had called last night to see if I had any last minute gifts to get and when I told her I had a few she suggested that the three of us, including Rose make a day of it. I had planned on spending the day with Edward, but he said that if I wasn't at my apartment then he would either pick up an extra shift or just hang out at his apartment.

We'd been spending every waking minute together, mostly at my place but with Jake and Nessie there a lot of the time, I couldn't help but notice that we rarely had privacy. I didn't know why we didn't just spend more time at his house, he never even mentioned it but I was getting to the point where I hoped he would suggest we make that adjustment so Jake could have the apartment and then when the baby came I had no idea what we were going to do.

So, here I was shopping at Macy's with Alice and Rose looking for something to give to Edward. I'd picked up a few little things for him, but nothing that really said thank you for all you've done for me, including being the love of my life. He had been amazing. I'd struggled around Thanksgiving with my panic at what he would do when he was reminded day in and day out that the baby wasn't his. I was relieved to find out we were having a little girl, because I wanted for any son of Edward's to be his biologically.

Alice grabbed my hand and led Rose and I to another department in the store and I found myself surrounded by baby clothes. She was squealing as she held up a little red dress with white fur trim, looking oddly like something the child of Santa would wear.

"Bella, isn't this the cutest thing?" she asked.

I just nodded my head, as she placed the dress in her basket. She hadn't found out what she was having, her appointment wasn't until after the New Year and Jasper was hellbent on not finding out. I didn't understand the men in our lives. None of them wanted to know, they didn't see the importance of being prepared. I was glad that Edward hadn't put up much of a fuss when I decided that I wanted to know. Rose had been tight lipped about what they were having, and she was doing a good job here in the store. Spending equal amounts of time between the boys section before making her way back to the girls. She picked up a few things for Izzy but didn't buy anything for a baby, so I still had nothing to go off of.

I was interrupted by my cell phone going off.

"Edward," I sighed.

"Hi beautiful, are you enjoying yourself?"

I nodded and he chuckled.

"Sweetheart, I can't see you."

"Oh, sorry. Yes, I'm having a good time."

"Did you find everything you were looking for?"

I shrugged, "not _everything_. I still have a very special someone that I can't seem to find anything for," wondering if he would know I was talking about him.

"Bella, you know you don't have to get me anything, right? Being with me and letting me spoil you is enough for me."

Edward could always bring a smile to my face and I was grinning like an idiot.

"So, what are you looking at now? Are the girls with you?" he asked.

"Yes, they're with me. We're in the baby section of Macy's."

"Oh, is Rose looking in the boys section?"

"Why would she be- Oh! You knew and didn't tell me?"

_**EPOV**_

_Shit. _Now what was I supposed to say. I can't believe I'd gone an entire month and hadn't managed to spill the beans.

"Doctor, patient confidentiality," I replied quickly, trying to save my ass.

"Mmhmm, that's the real reason?"

"Of course, you know I tell you everything."

"Edward, you're not even _her_ doctor," she huffed. I knew I was on the brink of a new emotion so I stepped out from behind the rack of clothes I had been standing behind to diffuse the situation in person.

I covered the phone with my hand and cleared my throat.

"Excuse me miss," I said in a deep voice, in an attempt to throw her off.

"Edward!" she whispered. "I'm gonna have to call you back. But this conversation isn't over."

She hung up, without saying I love you. Turned around and almost ran into me but I caught her just as she started to fall.

"Careful beautiful," I chuckled.

A smile lit up her face as she put the pieces together and the squeals of the other Cullen women could be heard throughout the department store.

Shaking her head, she wrapped her arms around my stomach and stood on her tip toes for a kiss.

"So I take it, I'm forgiven for not telling you about Rose?" I asked.

Rubbing her nose against mine she kissed me one more time.

"Not in the least. I'm afraid you might have to do some things to make up for it," she said with a wink as she turned to walk away from me.

I fell into step behind her, and stopped her by wrapping my arms around her and the baby. My lips made contact with her ear as I whispered that I was all too ready for my punishment.

We joined my brother and sister, and the girls announced that they were starving and reminded us what happens when you keep a pregnant woman from her food. So we quickly found a sit down restaurant on the outskirts of the mall and sat down for a leisurely meal.

The girls were looking at their menu's when the waiter approached to take our order and you could see the expression on his face when he realized he was going to be dealing with pregnant women. I snorted and Bella peered at me over her menu, with a quick roll of her eyes she resumed her perusal of the menu. Once she made up her mind, she laid the menu down and told me what she wanted as she headed to the bathroom.

The waiter came back with our drinks and our meal order was taken, I still hadn't seen Bella. After about five more minutes I decided I'd just go see what was keeping her, but as I stood up and peered beyond the partition I saw her standing with her friend Mike. The same friend that was there for her in the beginning when I couldn't be. While I appreciated all he had done, he needed to know that she was with me now and wasn't available for anything other than a mere friendship.

They were slowly approaching the table and the smile on her face was irreplaceable. I knew I would try and be subtle in letting Mike know how things were going to be, but as he approached and literally eye fucked Emmett right in front of me I couldn't believe my eyes. If what I saw was in fact true and my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, Bella's friend Mike was gay. She quickly made introductions and the look on Emmett's face when Mike shook his hand was priceless. He looked at his hand and then at Mike and then back at his hand before taking a seat. Mike bid us goodbye, and as Bella sat down I leaned over and whispered in her ear that I had started to worry about her.

"Edward, what could possibly happen to me between here and the bathroom?"

"Okay, maybe you're right," I sighed. "So," I licked my lips. "Your friend Mike, he back in town now?"

I tried to start a conversation that might hopefully lead to her just telling me and not having to ask about the sexuality of her close friend.

"Nope," she said as she popped the 'P' and took a sip of her water. "He's only in town until tomorrow and then he said he doesn't know if he'll be back before Summer. Why? Would you like to get to know him a bit better? It's like I had a whole role reversal in my friends. With him being gone and Angela moving to Chicago, which by the way Mike just told me that Ben followed her out there. Poor guy couldn't live without her."

She frowned as she talked about her friends being gone.

"But it's not like I don't have other friends that have come in and taken their places. Like your sister and Rose, did I tell you that I think we're actually going to do both Rose and Alice since they are Cullen women and are pregnant together?" She asked as she beamed with excitement.

"Why won't you be in the article?" I asked. She was also a pregnant Cullen, albeit not by legally, yet.

"Edward," she scoffed. "I'm not a Cullen, and as nice as it is to pretend that this is yours, it's unfortunately not. I know you love me and you love my baby, but I just don't know that it would be right to be in there with them."

"When does the article come out?"

"Some time in the Spring. We'll do the photoshoot in February and then we'll finish it up and have it to the press for the April layout, just in time for this little one to be out in the real world." She placed her hands on her stomach as she grinned. I tapped the pocked of my jacket where the Tiffany's box was resting against my heart. I knew she would be ecstatic with the gift at Christmas, and couldn't wait to give it to her.

The meal came and we quickly ate so that we could all go our separate ways. I had to get to the hospital to work my last 24 hour shift before the Holiday break and I wanted to spend some time with Bella. Especially since once I got back, we'd be packing up to head to my parents house. Jake and Nessie were going to be riding out with us, and were schedule to be at our house tomorrow evening so we could be to my parents shortly after dinner.

I didn't get to spend any time with Bella because by the time we made it back to her apartment, she was exhausted and went straight to bed. I changed into my work clothes, placed the box in my overnight bag that Bella had packed and gave her a peck on the lips before I left her for the evening.

**********

Work was relatively slow for the the Holidays, but it quickly picked up when I had an unscheduled GYN patient show up. I looked over her chart, wondering why she was requesting to be seen by me, when from the looks of it she should be seeing Addison. As I approached the exam room I saw Addison at the end of the hallway and motioned for her to join me.

"Is there a reason Mrs. Denali has requested to see me?" I asked.

"Not that I know of, she was the patient that had an extensive labor last summer and I had you consult on. But it doesn't matter anyway, they are slowly adding all of my patients to your roster since they aren't going to be replacing me with another full time OB."

"What? Why not?" I asked with a growl. I wasn't looking forward to having to spend more time here than necessary.

"Cutbacks. They're happening all over the city, hell the country for that matter. If I wasn't leaving, they would have cut back our hours."

"I would rather they do that than have to work more because they won't hire somebody else. It's times like this I wish I was running my own practice or living in a small town. I finally have a family at home waiting for me and now I'm not going to be able to take advantage of it."

Addison pursed her lips as she slapped me on the back. "Hang in there Edward, maybe something good will come out of this. But in the mean time, I believe Mrs. Denali is waiting on you."

I hesitated before I went in, rehashing the conversation I had just had with Addison. Why when things were going so good, no great! In one area of my life did they have to go in the complete opposite direction in the other areas.

Opening the door to the exam room, I was greeted with the woman that I had seen at Bella's work. The one that had tried to start a conversation with me and unsuccessfully tried to flirt with me. So this is where she knew me from.

"Hello _Mrs._ Denali," I said with an emphasis on the Mrs.

She smiled at me and I could see that she had lip stick on her teeth as she said, "please call me Tanya."

"Right," I coughed as I began the procedure.

After spending just a few minutes with the woman I felt bad for Bella having to work with her everyday. I got her appointment over with as quickly as I could, but before I could send her on her way I was interrupted as my pager went off. I looked down to see that I had a visitor and ushered Tanya out the room right along with me. We approached the front desk and I saw that Bella was standing at the front desk with Kate.

As I approached Bella and she turned to look at me, Tanya hollered out my name.

"Oh Eddie, thanks for lunch. It was splendid."

I didn't even have time to correct her as she walked down the hallway towards the elevator.

I chanced a glance at Bella, expecting her to be hurt or angry but she was grinning.

"I did not have lunch with that woman," I stated.

She leaned up on her toes and kissed me, shoving her tongue into my mouth briefly before pulling back.

"I know you didn't sweetheart, Kate told me who you were in there with and I had a feeling she'd make some kind of comment like that. She knows we're together and hasn't ever been nice about the fact that she doesn't approve of your choice in me."

"Anyway, I came to spring you early. There's a storm coming in and if we don't leave now we may be stuck in the city."

"Baby, I wish I could leave, but I'm the only one on duty."

She smiled at me as she shook her head.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.

"You didn't think I would expect you to leave without making sure someone was covering for you, did you?" She shook her head at me and added, "Addison said she didn't have any plans and would gladly start her shift early. Now come on, she's already here and Jake and Vanessa are waiting for us at the apartment and they've been making out like teenagers all afternoon. Ick!"

We hurried out of the hospital, picked up Jake and Nessie at the apartment and were headed to my parents house. If all went well, we'd be just in time for dinner before the festivities started.

When we arrived at my parents house my mother greeted us at the door and had the girls follow her into the kitchen while Jake and I took the bags up to our respective rooms. I set the suitcase that Bella had packed for us on the table in my room and pulled out the Tiffany's box. I carefully untied the bow, took the top off and pulled out the ring box. I stood there motionless as I debated opening it and gazing at it just one more time. I couldn't wait to put it on her finger, to see it nestled in the box was one thing but I couldn't fathom what it would look like on adorning her hand.

After I spent a few minutes looking at it I heard Jake shut Nessie's door and quickly discarded the Tiffany's blue box, placing the ring box in my pocket. The girls came upstairs to get ready for the evening and I took a quick shower to get the hospital funk off of me before I put on my suit and tie. Bella came out in a beautiful red strapless floor length dress. Her stomach was showing as she was about five months along and I was once again taken aback by her beauty. She smiled at me as she took the necklace my mother had given to her when we arrived and had me place it around her neck. She lifted her hair so that I could fasten it. After the necklace was in place I continued to stand behind her as I looked at the couple in the mirror.

I brushed my lips across her bare shoulder before taking her hand and leading her downstairs for dinner.

After dinner we all gathered around the tree to exchange our one gift on Christmas Eve. We were all dressed in evening wear since we would normally be attending the Christmas Eve service at church, but with the weather we were just going to spend the time together reading the Christmas Story from the Bible.

I tapped the pocket of my jacket for the umpteenth time this evening and of course the box was right where I had left it. I couldn't wait to give her the ring and ask her to marry me.

As the gifts were passed around I was running over what I was going to say in my head one last time before it was our turn. Jake and Nessie were the last to go, and when he got down on his knee I started to panic, knowing I'd have to think of something else to give her if he was doing what I thought was doing.

Sure enough, he pulled a ring box out of his coat pocket and declared his love to Nessie and asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. She answered with an excited YES!

_Well, there goes my plans for a Christmas Proposal._

After a round of congratulations from everybody, including Bella and I, I shoved my hand in my pants pocket, and came up empty. Well empty with the exception of my spare house key that Alice had handed me as we arrived. Without further thought I decided this would be my impromptu gift and then all eyes were on me, expectantly waiting for my grand gesture.

I turned to Bella as she sat there excited to give her present to me but I wanted to go first.

"Bella," I cleared my throat and tried to figure out how I was going to say this without sounding like a complete possessive tool. "Love, I don't want to spend another minute without you. I've already given you the key to my heart, but will you also accept the key to my home?" I asked as I pulled the key out of my pocket and held it out to her in the palm of my hand.

Her face fell as she looked between me and the key in my hand, and it was then that I realized I had asked her to move in with me while I was down on one knee.

I waited for tears to come but they never did. Instead she plucked the key out of my hand and kissed it as she placed it beside her on the table. She grabbed my chin and brought our lips together as she kissed me.

"I thought you'd never ask," she said with a smile. "How soon can I move in?" She asked with a giggle as she eyed the love young love birds that were still high on the event that had just happened.

I laughed as I jumped up and pulled her against me. I couldn't have been happier, well if I were celebrating her saying yes to my other question I would probably be happier, but that would have to wait until another opportune time.

The last gift was from Bella to me and it was a picture frame, a simple picture frame that I could put on my desk at home or the hospital. But it was the pictures inside and the words on the frame that brought a tear to my eye.

The frame had three slots and one word under each picture. The first said Mom and held a picture of Bella, the last slot said me and had a sonogram of our little girl in there and in the middle was the word dad and Bella had placed a picture of me. It was an equation that read from left to right, mom + dad = me.

"I would have given you the birth certificate, but that's not typical protocol to fill that out before the baby is born. So, I figured we'd just sign it together. There's a card too. Why don't you open it?"

She handed me the card that had fallen off the package as I hastily opened the gift. I never had been one to care about cards, and always opened them after the gift had been torn into.

Inside the pink envelope was a plain white card, but when I opened it up there was a piece of paper that looked like a birth announcement that had yet to be filled out.

It read:

Baby Girl Cullen

Due: April 1st, 2010

Born:

Time:

Weight:

Length:

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect gift on this Christmas Eve.

* * *

A/N - Hope this is a great early Christmas Present, I'm already well into the next chapter and hope to be able to post it around the Holiday...but not sure how that will go.

Entries for the Anonymous "Out of this World" Contest are posted and Polls will open by tomorrow, so make sure you get on over there to read, review and vote. We're looking for a guest reviewer to go with the announcement of the winner, so keep that in mind when you are reviewing the stories!

Entries for the What's Under Your Tree Contest are being accepted until Christmas Eve, so be sure to get those in!

For Story Rec(s) make sure you check out my site heatherdawnffrecs(dot)blogspot(dot)com and twigirlsnextdoor(dot)com


	19. Chapter 19

OMG! You guys shock the HELL out of me. I got a ton of reviews after last chapter and just squeed over all of them. I wish my life wasn't so hectic that I could review-reply the hell out of you, lol!

With that, I want to tell you that I couldn't do this without Jessica1971 she is my beta EXTRAORDINAIRE! Seriously, she makes sure that what I write can be understood by everybody, including me, lol!

Kassiah, Sherry, Hookah~thanks for the late night skype calls girls.

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine.

* * *

_Previously_

_Inside the pink envelope was a plain white card, but when I opened it up there was a piece of paper that looked like a birth announcement that had yet to be filled out._

_It read:_

_Baby Girl Cullen_

_Due: April 1st, 2010_

_Born:_

_Time:_

_Weight:_

_Length:_

_I couldn't have asked for a more perfect gift on this Christmas Eve._

**BPOV**

"Edward," I said as I knocked on the door to his study and let myself in. He was sitting at his desk much like I had found him that first night after we got home from Christmas with his parents.

I walked behind his chair and wrapped my arms around him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Sweetheart, the guys will be here any minute with the last of the boxes. Are you okay? You seem to be deep in thought."

He turned his head and gave me a kiss on the lips as he spun the chair around and pulled me into his lap. I fell against him, giggling.

"I'm perfect, especially now that you'll be here with me all the time and I won't have to come home to an empty apartment."

I leaned back to look at him.

"Is that why you always came home from work to my apartment, because you were lonely?"

"It's not the only reason. I have no intention of being somewhere if you're not with me. So it was only logical that wherever you are is home, and now that you're living with me I can't imagine how I ever slept in my bed without you."

"Our bed," I corrected.

He kissed me long and hard. "Our bed," he mumbled against my lips as he kissed me again.

"Edward," we heard Emmett holler, pulling us out of the room with his voice to assist him with bringing in the rest of the boxes. Not that I could carry anything, but I could certainly supervise and make sure the boxes went where they were supposed to go.

Edward and I had decided to leave most of the furniture with Jake and Nessie. Alice gave Jake the apartment as an early Wedding present, and that included the furniture. Not that I would have needed any of it. We left my bed with them for the guest room and since we had yet to do any baby shopping, I had little to nothing to put in the baby's room. I stood in the doorway of the room with pink and white striped walls and looked at the few boxes that were in there. Renee had been devastated when a freak snowstorm kept them from coming for New Year's and decided to just ship me what she was giving me and the baby for Christmas. It was a beautiful rocking chair that one of Billy's friends had made out of wood.

It was the only piece of furniture that was currently in the room. I had already found a set online that would match perfectly with it. I just needed to see what Edward's thoughts were and, if he approved, place the order so we could begin decorating before it got too late.

Alice had informed me that we would be having three separate baby showers since Rose was having twins and Alice wasn't going to find out what she was having. Plus, that gave her three parties to plan instead of one.

I went back out into the living room where the guys were watching a football game on TV. My brother was on the couch with Emmett, and Edward and Jasper were in the recliners. There was a bowl game on television and I wasn't sure who was winning. Jasper was obviously cheering for Texas as he donned his orange and white proudly.

They'd been great helping with the move while the beginning of the game was being recorded.

I set to work in the kitchen, putting the last of the appliances away while the guys finished the game. I pulled out some chips and dip, a bag of chocolate covered pretzels, and grabbed a few bottles of beer and soda from the fridge for the guys. I was sad that Rose and Alice couldn't be here, but they assured me they'd be here this weekend.

As soon as the game was over, Edward hurried the guys out the door without so much as a goodbye while I ran off to our room to get changed. I giggled; someone was eager.

After Christmas, I had gone shopping for some lingerie that fit me now and would continue to fit me as my belly expanded. I stood in our bathroom and examined my naked form, noticing the stretch marks that had started to appear and quickly grabbing the cream that Rose had given me. I lathered it all over my belly and around my breasts, remembering that she'd raved about it, saying that it really was a miracle cream.

After a few applications, I felt confident that I hadn't missed a spot. I slipped on a teddy and walked out into our room. I didn't see Edward anywhere, but could hear music coming from the hallway. Peering out of our room, I saw that the light in the baby's room was on and went to see what he could possibly be doing in there.

Edward had set up a makeshift bed of blankets and foam mats on the floor where the crib would eventually go. I walked over to him as his appreciative gaze swept over my body.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked as he helped me down onto the blankets, situating himself above me.

His lips connected with mine and made a circuit from my mouth to my collarbone. With feather light fingers he parted my night gown, revealing my naked body.

"You're so incredibly sexy."

He ran his hands down my sides, grazing my breasts, and wrapped the string of my thong around his fingers and slid them down my legs. He kissed his way back up my legs, placing wet kisses at the back of my knee and the inside of my thigh before he reached my heat.

He skipped over where I wanted him most and kissed across my belly. He whispered that he loved our little girl and how excited he was to meet her. With a chuckle, he reminded her that we were in her room as he proceeded towards my mound.

Placing a kiss there, he stuck his tongue out and licked along my slit as I writhed beneath him.

EPOV

Bella was gorgeous; I could never get enough of her. I never thought I would get enough of her. I was finally in a position to worship her properly. I wasn't a guy that necessarily loved to go down on a woman, but this wasn't just any woman, this was my woman, and I was going to make sure she knew just how much she meant to me.

I licked and sucked and pleasured her with my mouth, eager for her to scream my name. She shoved her fingers into my hair as she pushed my face against her pussy. Her whimpers increased as I sucked her clit into my mouth, feeling it slip past my lips, lightly grazing it with my teeth.

She came seconds later as she moaned my name. I gently licked her as she came down from her high and ran her thumb along my cheek. Glancing up at her, I saw her smile begging me to come to her with her eyes. I leaned up and gave her a kiss on the lips and she sucked my top lip into her mouth.

"I can taste myself on you," she whispered with a sultry voice.

"Mmhmm, divine." Kiss. "Isn't it?" Kiss.

"It is. Thank you for that, sweetie."

"My pleasure, beautiful," I told her as I aligned myself with her opening and our bodies came together. We rolled around on the blankets until we ended up on our sides facing each other.

I loved her with my body, thrusting against her as I whispered why I loved her, how much I couldn't wait to start our lives together and one day be making love to her while she carried our child. We made love through the night and just before I was about to succumb to sleep, I picked her up and carried her to our bed so I could start my proposal.

After I had changed my Christmas gift, which worked out just as well, I started to formulate a new plan. I wanted her to wake up on her first morning here with a ring on her hand.

Laying her down on our bed, I brushed her hair from her face and watched it fan out against the pillow. Her lips were still swollen from our kiss and I leaned in to kiss her again. Walking around to my side of the bed I retrieved the engagement ring from my night stand and pulled it out of the box.

Before anything could ruin my plan, again, I grabbed her left hand and slid the ring on her finger. Perfect. I kissed it as I lay down next to her, wrapping my arms around her and falling asleep.

I was relieved when I woke up with Bella still sleeping and could put the next step in "operation Private Proposal" to work. The first step had been to get the ring on her finger.

I'd decided after the first proposal didn't work out that I wanted to do it at home with just the two of us. Bella was a private person, and I thought she might appreciate this a little bit more than something in front of our families.

Next I pulled the red ribbon with little notes attached to it and tied it from the headboard of our bed, stringing it through our room and tying the other end of it to the towel rack in the bathroom. I had a few minutes before she would start stirring, so I quickly turned on the shower after writing my message in the bathroom mirror.

I peeked out the bathroom to see her looking at the ribbon curiously as it hung above her head. She grabbed the first paper and a smile appeared on her face as she glanced up and looked around the room, probably looking for me.

She got out of bed and quickly put on the sheer robe, just as the first card had said and as she went from note to note, I could hear her read them quietly to herself.

_"I remember the day I first saw you as you got on the elevator at the hospital. I didn't know it then, but that was the first day of the rest of my life."_

As she walked from note to note, whispering the words I had laid out for her I saw many emotions wash over her face.

She smiled through her tears as she read about the day I realized I was going to be a dad. I heard her chuckle as I told her about my nervousness on our first date. With the final card within reach I stepped away from the door as she walked in and faced me.

I wrapped her in my arms, kissed away her tears and whispered that I loved her.

"I love you, too, Edward," she whispered as she leaned back. "But why?" she asked as I turned her to face the mirror where I had written out the words 'Will you Marry Me?'

I picked up her hand and in the same gesture as I had the night before when I placed the ring on her finger, I brought her hand to my mouth and kissed where the ring now rested on her delicate finger.

"Bella," I said as I looked at her in the mirror. "I love you more than I ever could have imagined. I want to make many more memories with you as we spend the rest of our lives together. Marry me. Be my wife."

Tears streamed down her face as she nodded and kissed me.

"Yes."

I breathed a sigh of relief as I led her back to the bed where we made love as the sun rose high above the clouds.

We got up a short time later. She headed off to take a shower and I went to start breakfast.

Bella came in just as I was finishing off the carton of orange juice before I tossed it in the trash can.

I turned to look at her and she scolded me for drinking it out of the carton and I just shrugged, knowing that I'd be doing it next time we finished one off. She was wearing a pair of sweat pants with some shug boots or mug boots or something like that she claimed kept her feet warm.

"What time are they coming over today?" she asked as she took a bite of her omelet.

"I told them to give us the morning, and Alice decided that meant they could come over at 10:30, since according to Emmett that's when they stop serving breakfast at fast food restaurants."

"Strange logic, but okay," she giggled. "What are we going to do until then?" she asked as she admired her ring.

I walked around the counter to stand behind her and placed my hands on her hips. I kissed both sides of her neck as my hands moved from her hips under her shirt and ran along her stomach.

"I thought we could order the nursery set you were looking at online so that it'd be here next week so we could work on decorating the baby's room. Or we could practice for baby number two."

She pushed her ass back into me and rubbed against my hard on as we heard the front door open and Alice squealed as she walked into the kitchen.

"Let me see it."

"Alice, you've already seen it," I reminded her.

"Well, I haven't seen it on her finger."

Bella held her hand out so Alice could ogle the ring on her finger.

"So Bella, are you ready to go shopping and get registered for our baby showers?" Alice asked after they congratulated us.

"I thought Rose was coming with us."

"Nope," Alice said as she popped a grape in her mouth. "She's been put on bed rest, which is why we weren't here yesterday. She can get up and go a few places, but walking around in the cold weather is definitely out.

"So Edward, are we waiting on you or are you boys going to let us go by ourselves?" Alice asked as she eyed me in my pajama bottoms.

"What?" I questioned. "You said you wouldn't be here for another couple of hours. Excuse me if I had plans to ravish my fiancé a few more times before we had to go shopping. Give me ten minutes, ok?"

The girls nodded as they started in on a conversation and Jaz leaned over to me and whispered "Ravish?" like he wasn't sure if I chose the right word. He apparently had not hit the second trimester hormones with Alice. _Ugh, I didn't need to be thinking about that._

I hurried through the shower, eager to be with Bella again. It was becoming harder to function without her, especially if she was so close and not with me. I hoped it would get better the more time we spent together, but I didn't see that happening.

We hurried the ladies out the door once I was dressed and bundled them up tight. It was a crisp January morning for New York and Alice dragged us from one baby boutique to the next. Apparently while I had been in the shower they had decided to wait and see if they could find something better than she'd picked out for the baby's room.

When we'd spent four hours shopping, one eating, and countless trips to and from the car, I decided that they'd probably had enough for the day and that they could finish the shopping either at a later time or do it on the internet. If Rose could only do it from there, I didn't see why they couldn't finish theirs without making a trip as well.

As I steered through traffic with Bella's hand in mine, Alice leaned over my shoulder and thanked me for taking them shopping. I knew it wasn't that simple and asked her to cut to the chase.

"Well, there's this really great spa on our way home and I was thinking you could drop us off there while you guys went and did something manly. What do you say?" she asked as she batted her eyelashes at me and stuck out her bottom lip in the same pout she'd been using since she was born.

I glanced at Jaz in the rear view mirror and he just shrugged in a 'whatever' gesture.

"Only if Bella wants to, but no pressuring her, Alice. She can make her own decisions."

I looked at Bella and saw her chewing her lip so I drug my thumb across it as we sat at a stoplight.

"Sure, that sounds great. About how long would we be?" she asked Alice as she brought our joined hands to her stomach where I could feel the baby kicking.

She'd had me feel the kicks before, and I completely lost track of what Alice was saying as our little girl kicked the crap out of Bella's stomach. Bella winced a few times and I turned up the radio as a Jack Johnson song came on the radio and sang along with it. She immediately settled down and I couldn't get over the fact that she responded to music so well.

"I think it was your voice," Bella said as she leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

Alice directed me to where she had just made prenatal spa appointments for the girls and said they'd be done in a couple of hours.

I had no idea what Jaz and I were going to do to fill our time without our significant others, so we headed to a coffee shop I'd seen just a few blocks back.

We didn't do much but listen to acoustic renditions of popular songs and poetic haiku's as we sipped our coffee and discussed how much our lives were going to change.

Alice called not a moment too soon and we hurried off to pick them up. Bella didn't really look any different when she got in the car, but that was probably because I always thought she was beautiful, even when she was drenched in sweat after an intense round of passionate sex.

I was surprised when she had me drop Jaz and Ali off at their car instead of inviting them up. But once we were in the apartment and she attached herself to my lips while she immediately started taking both our clothes off, I figured out why and followed suit.

We made it to our bedroom just as the last items of clothing were shed, and Bella stood before me naked and completely fucking bare.

* * *

*gasp* I've been told "you did NOT end it there?!?" But i did...and the sad part is that isn't even where pick up in the next chapter :( But I'm sure we'll be hearing about it sometime! And yes, I know you don't know when they will be getting married...that will come up next chapter :)

I have a OneShot coming out for the PervPack's An Office and a Gentleman Contest, look for that later this week and please go R&R it I'd love you forever and probably be inspired to continue it, just sayin' :) Put me on author alert list if you want to know when I post it!

Hope you had a great Holiday! Come visit us on the thread, it got hoppin' after last chapter and I like to post teasers sometimes :)

For story rec(s) check out my blog heatherdawnffrecs(dot)blogspot(dot)com and thetwigirlsnextdoor(dot)com

Everything that I mention can be found via a link on my profile!


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine. While the author desires to keep the story as REAL as possible, Creative License may be taken.

Thank you so much for the fantabulous reviews! Seriously, seeing the review count go up just amazes/shocks/astounds me! Thanks to my awesome beta Jessica1971 for making this understandable and being curious about what happens next and being my friend 3. Friends - Kassiah, Megan, Trina, Sherry, Tammy

SONGS - I never tell you to listen to a song, but there is a part in this chapter that I listened to Missy Higgins _Nightminds_ over and over and OVER again while I wrote it.

* * *

_Previously _

_Alice called not a moment too soon and we hurried off to pick them up. Bella didn't really look any different when she got in the car, but that was probably because I always thought she was beautiful, even when she was drenched in sweat after an intense round of passionate sex._

_I was surprised when she had me drop Jaz and Ali off at their car instead of inviting them up. But once we were in the apartment and she attached herself to my lips while she immediately started taking both our clothes off, I figured out why and followed suit._

_We made it to our bedroom just as the last items of clothing were shed, and Bella stood before me naked and completely fucking bare.  
_

**BPOV**

"Hey Rose," I greeted her as she walked into my office. Today was our final photo shoot for the magazine and she looked absolutely stunning. The doctor had released her from bed rest long enough to come in so we could get this done, and she'd apparently taken advantage of being out of the house by stopping at the mall and the salon on her way.

"You look beautiful. You may not even have to find something off the rack for the cover shot," I joked.

"Are you kidding me? That's one of the best perks of being a model, all the clothing you get. Plus," she added as she paused and glanced towards my office door just as Alice walked in, "we all need to be in color coordinating pieces, and I know what you're wearing certainly doesn't coordinate with anything Alice or I own."

She laughed as I jumped up and hugged both of them, surprised to see Alice. She had said she didn't think she'd be able to make it, but she must have been able to move some things around so she could be here.

"Wait, what do you mean? I don't have to be matching. I'm not part of the article."

Alice slapped a stack of papers on my desk and pointed her finger at something on the page. There on the front cover in black and white were our three names. Sure enough, it said I would be joining them, although there must not be much of me in there because I hadn't been interviewed to the extent that Alice and Rose had been.

I picked it up and scanned it as my boss appeared in the doorway.

"Good morning, Rose, Alice," she greeted them as she nodded. "So, what do you think, Bella?"

"I, to be honest, I'm a little shocked. I had no idea that all those things you were asking would end up being printed for the world to see," I joked, feeling a little self conscious. When I had signed up to be in the magazine business, I had done it so I could stay out of the spotlight, not be on the front cover.

Now everything seemed to be clicking in place. For the past month she'd been asking me random questions, but had spread them out so that I never knew she was actually interviewing me. This morning before I had left for work, Edward told me with a chuckle to enjoy myself and relax at work today. At the time, I just thought he was sensing some of my stress about Tanya and her disappearing act. She'd been in and out of the office frequently, with no excuses as to where she'd been. Not that I wanted to keep track of her, but I was acutely aware when she was in because she always managed to walk right by my desk.

"Alright ladies, the make up artists will be expecting you in about ten minutes," she said as she glanced at her watch. "You should probably head on over to the dressing rooms and get changed so you'll be ready to start on time."

She walked away with a smile and a wave as the girls dragged me out of my office and off to get dressed.

Apparently Alice and Rose had decided we'd each wear a pair of jean bottoms, whether it be a skirt, shorts, or actual jeans, and then we'd just color coordinate with different tops. Our first outfit change had us all in white button up oxfords that Rose had gotten from our men. Luckily they were huge, because we were expected to wear them without pants for the first part of the shoot. I couldn't believe Edward was a part of this and hadn't said anything to me.

"Um, Rose, can we wear our underwear? Or are we supposed to be _only_ in these shirts?" I asked with dread.

"Please, Bella," she laughed. "If you want, I'm sure Edward would love to see you in nothing but his shirt. However, let's keep undergarments on for the photographers, ok?"

We sat in the make up chairs as the photographers were doing test shots and checking the lighting. Since I was a part of this, the girls decided they wanted to look as natural as possible, knowing that's exactly what I would want, so our make up time was fairly brief.

Rose got up and unbuttoned the first couple of buttons so the shirt gaped and her cleavage was visible while the photographer placed us on either side of her.

After, oh, about a thousand shots and poses in just the shirts, we added jeans and bright colored jewelry. Rose had on a big red bangle bracelet with several different necklaces of varying lengths and a pair of earrings in the same shade.

Alice and I were wearing similar pieces, except hers were in purple and mine were in a turquoise shade.

We eventually switched to bright pastel, skin tight tops. Rose was in a blue and white striped strapless piece while Alice and I wore spaghetti strap tops in shades of yellow and green.

I was very pleased with the way the second round of shots went. While the first had been more sensual and sexy, the second had been playful. We posed with stuffed animals and huge baby blocks. After about an hour of laughing, my side hurt and we had all gone to the bathroom a couple times. The photographer suggested that if we wanted to take some more sensual pictures to give him a call and we could do a round with our men. I saw a few sly glances from Alice and Rose as we were changing back into our own clothes. I decided to put Edward's shirt back on with my jeans since I was done for the day and was headed home to meet him.

As soon as I thought of Edward, I immediately had an ache in my chest like something was wrong. I'd never felt anything like it before; it was as if my heart was conflicted and I couldn't get home to him fast enough. Glancing at my watch, I noticed I'd be able to beat him home, but just barely.

I grabbed my purse and some work from my office as I headed out the door and jumped in my car.

I was antsy as I rode up the elevator, and when I walked in the apartment everything was eerily calm. I put my things in the office and started a pot of hot water for tea as I started on dinner.

**EPOV**

"Thanks, Addison," I groaned.

She had just brought me yet another file that would be added to my patient list as she slowly relinquished her responsibilities to those that could handle them. I was relieved that she would still be here until the middle of April, and unless Bella was late she'd still be the one to deliver our little girl.

Over the past few weeks, Bella and I had spent a lot of time getting things lined up for our little girl's arrival. After I'd asked her to marry me on what had been the best day of my life, we'd discussed the pros and cons of when and where.

I had suggested that we get married before she had the baby in April, but Bella was adamant that she wanted to wait until after the baby was born.

_"I'm sorry, Edward, but whenever I imagine walking down the aisle, I just can't see myself in a dress that I found at the shop on the corner called 'It's not too late,'" she said with a serious face._

_I tried to hold it in, but my laughter came bubbling up to the surface as I thought of her as anything but gorgeous on our wedding day._

_"Why the hell are you laughing? You think it's funny that I don't want to be a whale on our wedding day? What about our wedding night? You want me to be all fat and pregnant when you carry me over the threshold, and then I'm too tired and exhausted for you to have your wicked way with me?"_

_I stalked toward her as soon as she brought up our wedding night, fully intent on making her regret that she ever doubted my appeal for her sexually._

_Bending down, I scooped her up in my arms and carried her to our bedroom as she squeaked her surprise._

_"What about now?" I asked. "Are you too tired for me to have my wicked way with you now?"_

I laughed as I remembered her expression as I had laid her on our bed. That was just a few weeks ago, but I think that had been our record night as far as rounds of sex go. God, I couldn't wait to get home to her.

A couple of hours later I had finished with all my appointments when Kate paged me to let me know of an incoming delivery.

Walking into the hospital room, I saw young Jane and her boyfriend, Paul, whispering to each other. They were complete opposites. Where Jane was petite, barely reaching five feet tall, and pale with blonde hair, Paul was about six foot three and had dark skin with dark brown hair.

Jane was my youngest patient; at just seventeen she would be bringing a child into this world when she was just a child herself. Her parents stood off to the side of the room as the young couple cuddled on her bed.

"Good afternoon, Jane," I greeted as I made my presence known in the room.

"Hi, Dr. Cullen. I can't believe it's time."

"Well, let me see how things are progressing," I said as I motioned for her parents to leave the room. "Paul, if you'd please remove yourself from her bed, I'll be able to take a look and be out of your hair."

I checked her out and she was moving right along. She was dilated to a six so we'd be seeing this baby within a couple of hours.

I left them as I went on another round to check my patients then sat down to look over the charts Addison had handed me this morning.

It was at about three o'clock that I got the call that Jane's water had broken and I was needed in the delivery room. We had such a great staff of labor and delivery nurses that they usually had everything squared away by the time I arrived and all that was really left was the pushing.

When I walked in, the baby was just about to crown and I moved into position quickly. Everything was going smoothly until it wasn't. It was like everything happened at once. Paul was standing beside Jane as he assisted her with breathing techniques when all of a sudden she leaned to the side, and if he hadn't already been holding her up, I think she would have fallen off the bed. Her heart rate dropped and she went into cardiac arrest just as she gave her last push and the baby came out screaming.

I immediately handed the baby boy off to the nurses as I stepped to her side, dropped the bed, and yelled for someone to page Dr. Montgomery while I started CPR.

We worked to bring her back, and I refused to give up and call time. I could hear the nurses asking Paul to leave as Addison burst into the room. Jane was gone before we even had a chance to save her. Addison walked up to my side where the incessant beeping leaked from the machine in a steady stream until she turned it off. My whole life flashed before my eyes as I backed away so Paul could spend a few moments with his beloved.

One of the nurses walked over to Paul and tried to hand him his son, but he just clung to Jane tighter. I don't think I would have been able to hold our little girl either if I'd just lost Bella.

_Bella_.

I turned on my heel and retreated to the on-call room as fast as I could. I quickly grabbed my belongings and told Addison that I'd be back later and to page me if absolutely necessary. I could care less if I lost my job or even what had went wrong with my patient. The only thing that I was able to focus on was Bella. I had to get home to her.

As soon as I walked through the door, I heard her in the kitchen humming along to a song on the radio.

I dropped my coat at the door and threw my keys on the counter as I walked up behind her and crushed her against me. I buried my face against her neck as I breathed in her floral scent. I let it envelop me and take me from the dark place my mind had receded to.

My body was racked with sobs as I tried to come to grips with the fact that she was fine, that I was really holding her in my arms and that I hadn't lost the most important thing in my world. After what seemed like moments, but was probably more like minutes, I loosened my hold on her and she turned around to face me.

She placed her hands on either side of my face before leaning her head against my chest. When she looked back up at me I could tell she knew. She'd known even before I walked through the door that something was wrong and that I would need her as soon as I got home.

She wiped the few tears that remained away with her thumb as she wrapped her hand behind my neck and brought my face to hers. The kiss that followed left me breathless as I broke away and peppered her face with kisses. We caressed and held each other as the music that had faded into the background switched songs and I couldn't even stand; I dropped to my knees in front of her. Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her against me from the umpteenth time.

"We have to have a priority. You, _you_ have to be the priority. I just, I," I struggled to speak and breathe at the same time as I tried to convey how much my life was dependent on hers. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. I don't think I'm strong enough to survive something like that."

"Shh. You won't have to."

"You don't understand," I whispered as my mind began to relive it again. "Everything was fine, she had the epitome of a perfect, healthy pregnancy. She even had a smooth delivery until she didn't. She just, there was no warning, nothing I could do."

I broke down again as I felt Bella shift around me. She managed to shift us so I was sitting with my back against the cabinet and she crawled into my lap where I could hold her against me.

I could hardly hear her words of encouragement as I focused on the steady beats of our heart as it beat a beautiful rhythm in her chest.

I don't even know how she moved me, but I woke up later in our bed with my arms wrapped around her while she slept soundly against me. I tightened my hold on her and placed kiss after kiss against her neck. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was around six in the morning, and as much as I didn't want to wake her, I needed to be inside her.

I pulled the blankets back and noticed for the first time that she was wearing one of my dress shirts. With the way things had turned out at the hospital, I'd forgotten that she'd had her photo shoot with the girls. I'd called and spoken with her boss before the proposal about including Bella in the article even though she wasn't legally a Cullen, _yet_. She readily agreed and congratulated me on the engagement.

"Bella," I whispered as I leaned over her and kissed her ear. "Wake up, beautiful. I need to see those gorgeous eyes."

I brushed the back of my hand along her cheekbone and continued a path down her neck as she started to stir.

"God, I love you so much, Bella."

Leisurely, I undid each button starting at the top of her shirt, and as each inch of skin was exposed to me I would run my fingers along the delicate skin of her chest. Cupping my hand around her breast, I rolled her nipple between my fingers and felt her shift her backside into me.

"That's right, baby, wake up so we can make sweet, sweet love," I chuckled as a smile broke across her beautiful face. Her eyes opened to me and I saw my entire world staring back at me.

"Good morning, gorgeous," I sighed as I placed a kiss against her pouty lips, pleased that she didn't appear to be too upset considering it was Saturday and she'd probably wanted to sleep in.

"What time is it?" she asked as she stretched, causing her shirt to open further and fully expose her upper half.

"A little after six," I sighed as I hung my head, feeling ashamed that I'd let my need for her get in the way of my responsibility to take care of her.

"Hey," she scolded as she sat up and looked down at me. "You have nothing to be sorry for, okay? If you need me," she paused and then smiled as she bit her lip, clearing her throat. "I'm glad that you need me and that you just can't possibly wait for me to wake up," She chuckled to herself.

Shifting to her knees, she smirked at me as she opened her shirt and slowly slid it off each shoulder while she hummed the first notes of The Power of Love. She made it through enough of the song to remove her shirt completely before standing next to the bed and removing her panties to the first chords of the chorus.

Climbing back into the bed, she straddled my chest with her back to me and proceeded to push my boxers down my legs before turning around to face me.

My cock was nestled between the lips of her pussy as she straddled me.

"God, baby," I hissed, half expecting her to at least begin with a little oral or a little bit of foreplay before she straddled me, but she'd just skipped over the opening act.

Things in the bedroom had changed a lot in the past few weeks as her stomach continued to grow. We'd found the best option for both of us was for her to be on top. _Which didn't bother me in the least,_ I thought to myself as I smirked.

"What's that smirk for, Dr. Cullen?" she purred as she placed her hands on my chest, playing with my sensitive nipples while she continued her rocking motion. God, I loved everything about her.

"Just love my woman on top, that's all," I replied as I ran my hands up her hips, one brushing against her breast and the other tickling her belly as it found its way down to her swollen bud. She jerked against me and the tip of my cock inched its way inside her a little more.

"I need to be inside you, baby," I whispered as she complied and grabbed my member, pumping it a few times as she took me fully inside her, causing us both to moan. It was always perfect with her, and I hoped that this feeling of being complete would never go away. She was everything to me, the epitome of my existence, and I didn't want it any other way.

I watched her move languidly against me as she found her rhythm, bringing us both pleasure. It amazed me how comfortable she'd become with her body as it continued to grow. She'd stopped doubting how I felt about her and I'd seen the proof of that at Christmas.

She tried to lean down to kiss me but her belly got in the way and she couldn't quite reach. I watched as a pout formed on her face and thought it was time we tried a different position.

Sitting up, I wrapped my arms around her and placed a kiss against her lips.

"Sweetheart, lay down on your right side for me," I whispered as I brushed her hair away from her sweaty face. As soon as she was laying with her back to me, I laid down behind her and wrapped my arms around her. She turned to kiss me as I rested my chin on her shoulder.

"Mmm, perfect," she moaned as I reached between us and slid into her. We rocked together until we found a rhythm. I held her tenderly as I rested my hand on her abdomen.

Lacing her fingers with mine, she turned to me for another kiss as she moaned into her climax.

"Uh, oh God," I cried as my body pulsed within her and I buried my face into her neck. Catching my breath, I opened my eyes to see her staring back at me.

"Thank you," she said as she kissed me.

"What for, beautiful?" I asked. She had nothing to be thanking me for.

"For knowing what I needed. I can't believe the only times I've ever been with you have been while I was pregnant," she sighed and a contemplative look crossed her face as she shook her head, clearing whatever thought had been lurking.

"Sleep now, beautiful. I have a feeling that when this little one gets here we won't be having many mornings like this," I reminded her. I heard the sound of her rhythmic breathing alerting me that she'd fallen asleep, and I felt myself drifting under as I heard the phone ring off in the distance.

* * *

I **need names ideas for baby girl Cullen** and for the Twin Boys that Rose will be having AND what should Alice have?!? :) leave them in your review please!

I wrote a O/S for the An Officer and a Gentleman Contest the PervPack is having called **A Leave Worth Taking**. Voting is going on until Friday, so make sure you check out all the stories...they're amazing and **VOTE**!

Rec(s) - Seriously, ANYTHING by **itzmegan73**. Seriously, she has _**The Cannabean Betrothal**_ and _**A Rough Start**_...that are both updating regularly and she has a completed FIC, _**The Tutor**_. They're all amAzing. I don't even think I can choose a fav between TCB and ARS because they seriously both PWN me soooo much! Are you reading them?!? If not, YOU SHOULD BE!

Follow me on Twitter heatherdawnxoxo and visit the threads for teasers!

HAITI - Due to the devastation from the Earthquake, MsKathy is putting together a Compilation of short stories from a multitude of authors, me included, to benefit the efforts over there. She's already helped the fandom raise several thousand dollars, it's amazing. Visit her blog to donate to the cause so you'll be receiving this wonderful gift. (Link on profile)


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine. While the author desires to keep the story as REAL as possible, Creative License may be taken.

Reviewers, thank you so much for the fantabulous name suggestions and OMG I got so many that it was hard to choose, but I'm so happy with what came of it.

My beta Jessica1971, thanks for being so awesome and getting this back to me with the great feedback! To My Skype girls, thank you so much for helping me with my wordage and just being all around awesome!

* * *

_Previously_

_"Thank you," she said as she kissed me._

_"What for, beautiful?" I asked. She had nothing to be thanking me for._

_"For knowing what I needed. I can't believe the only times I've ever been with you have been while I was pregnant," she sighed and a contemplative look crossed her face as she shook her head, clearing whatever thought had been lurking._

_"Sleep now, beautiful. I have a feeling that when this little one gets here we won't be having many mornings like this," I reminded her. I heard the sound of her rhythmic breathing alerting me that she'd fallen asleep, and I felt myself drifting under as I heard the phone ring off in the distance._

**EPOV**

"Dr. Cullen, can I see you in my office?" Addison hollered at me as I walked through the doors of the maternity ward.

I'd taken the last couple days off while I recuperated from the disaster that had occurred during my last delivery. Bella's constant presence was what I needed, and we contacted a preacher to perform our wedding ceremony this weekend at my parents' home. I made the decision before we got out of bed the next day that I didn't care whether Bella preferred to wait until after the baby was here. After Jane's sudden death during delivery, it took everything in me not to beg Bella to go to the courthouse the next morning, but I would not want to deprive her of her day, so I mustered up the courage to wait a few days.

_I was sitting at the dining room table when she came out of our room in the silk robe she'd been wearing one of the first times I'd spent the night at her apartment. It was getting a little snug, but the way it showed her ample cleavage was enough to shake me out of my depression of having to break it to her that I just couldn't see us waiting any longer to get married. _

_"Good morning, handsome," she yawned as she sat in the chair next to me and propped her feet in my lap._

_"Morning, beautiful," I said as I leaned over and greeted her with a kiss before I kissed her belly. "And you, too, baby girl."_

_I sat back and started to rub her feet as we sat in silence and appreciated the New York skyline from our apartment._

_"Edward -"_

_"Bella -" I chuckled and she giggled right along with me._

_"You go first, love," I said._

_"No, that's okay. You look like you've been thinking about whatever it is you have to say all night. Why don't you get it off your chest?"_

_"I think we should get married before the baby comes. Nothing extravagant, because we don't have time. I just want you to be my wife. I know that you said you wanted to wait, but I just feel like I want to be the one to have the say. I don't care if your parents are there. I want to be able to tell them to save my wife over our child, because we can always have another child, but there will only ever be one you."_

_"Okay."_

_I sat there as I waited for her response, only to realize that she'd already said something._

_"What?"_

_"I said okay. I think we should get married beforehand, too."_

_"You do? But I thought-"_

_"I did want to wait, but I agree that it'd make sense to just do it now. We can have a huge reception after she's here."_

That had brought us from the discussion of getting married to baby names, and we'd decided that we'd just do it the next weekend, which was already here.

I had a twelve hour shift that Addison had insisted I come in for so that she could take a break, and also so we could discuss what the coroner's lab had found.

"Well, Edward," she said as I took a seat in her office. "It looks like it was a non-obstetrical maternal death. According to the autopsy she died of an aneurysm. With her age, they never had any reason to look for it. When she started having headaches, her boyfriend said they'd just chalked it up to the pregnancy."

"So there was nothing I could have done?" I asked as I breathed a sigh of relief. I'd been plagued with thoughts that there was something I could have done that would have spared her young life.

"Nope, if she didn't die while she was here, she probably wouldn't have lived for very long once she was released."

Relief swept over me as I accepted the fact that there was nothing I could have done. Still, knowing that she had died on my table would haunt me for the rest of my life. Addison released me from her office so she could go home to sleep. We had one false alarm come in, and after I examined her and sent her home, I remembered the false alarm that had woken Bella and me up last Saturday morning.

_The phone continued to ring as I reluctantly disentangled my body from Bella's and got up to answer it._

_"It's about time you answered your phone, fucker!" My brother yelled as soon as I answered. "You better get your lazy asses out of bed because we're having babies."_

_Emmett was booming with excitement as he talked about how Rosie woke him up that morning and they were now on their way to the hospital. I explained to him that if he wanted us there we needed to get off the phone so I could wake Bella and we could leave._

_After I'd gotten Bella up and both of us were dressed and literally ready to step out the door, Rose called us, apologizing about the false alarm. Bella and I had decided since we were already awake and dressed that we'd spend the day doing something as a couple since we wouldn't have too many more Saturday mornings like this._

"Edward," Bella whispered as she stepped in front of me in the hallway, startling me. I'd been so lost in thought that I hadn't even seen her approach me.

Leaning down to kiss her, I felt her smile against my lips as she awkwardly wrapped her petite frame around me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I broke the kiss and leaned my forehead against hers. "Aren't you supposed to be getting pampered with my sister and Rose?"

"Ugh!" she sighed heavily as she stepped back and crossed her arms above her stomach. "Yeah, I suppose. But I really don't want to be doing anything but spending time with you, and now Alice has it in her head that we shouldn't sleep in the same room when we stay at your parents' house for the wedding."

"Nope, not going to happen," I reassured her as I pulled her back against me. "Trust me, if anyone can handle my sister, it's me."

She seemed happy with my answer as she hugged me against her as much as she could before my pager went off and I told her I'd see her later. The last hour or two of my shift dragged on as I met with a new patient and spent some of my time in my office studying the books I'd picked up about being a new father. To be honest, I was scared shitless about bringing a child into this world, and as much as I wish Bella didn't know that, I had a feeling she knew. I was in the middle of reading when Addison poked her head in my office, letting me know she was back and I was free to go.

"Good luck this weekend, and enjoy your wedding. I wish I could be there," she added as she waved me out the door.

I hurried home to Bella, ready to start the whirlwind of events that would carry us through the next few weeks. We had the wedding and then the honeymoon this weekend. Next weekend we had her baby shower, with family and friends, and then one with her coworkers would be held during the following week.

"Honey, I'm home," I bellowed, taking off my coat and scarf, laying it over the back of the couch as I toed off my tennis shoes and padded down the hall in my socks.

I tugged on the string of my scrubs as I walked in our room to see Bella in the middle of the floor in a beginning yoga pose. She'd started doing yoga as soon as many positions become uncomfortable for her. I continued through our room to the bathroom as I tugged my scrubs loose, intending to shower quickly. When I turned around to put my dirty clothes in the laundry hamper, I realized Bella had changed positions. She was now kneeling on the floor with her back arched and her hands resting on her ankles behind her. My eyes fixated on the outline of her pink nipples straining against the white sports top she was wearing.

A low growl rumbled through my chest as I continued to stand in the bathroom doorway, naked, watching my fiancée as she moved her curvaceous body from position to position with precision. Mesmerized by her sheer beauty, I was a statue, while she coyly made eye contact with me from time to time. And then when she was finally in the same position she had begun in, she motioned me over to her.

"I thought you were going to take a shower," she insisted as I stepped in front of her, hard as a rock.

"Yeah, well," I stammered as Bella shifted to her knees and wrapped her fingers around my erection and smoothed the bead of pre cum around the head. Stupidly, I stepped away from her and my dick smacked against my stomach as she let go of me with an irritated look on her face.

"Sweetheart, we really don't have time and I know that position can't be comfortable for you."

She started to protest, but I cut her off.

"Please," I pouted. "You know I'm going to want more of you if you start that. Why don't we shower together," I suggested as I leaned over to help her up and peeled off her top as she slid off her bottoms.

"I promise, this evening I won't be saying no," I added with a chuckle as I followed her into the bathroom.

We fooled around a little in the shower and ended up rushing as we threw the rest of our things in the suitcase and headed to my parents' house. My tux and Bella's dress were already at their house, because after we'd done our fittings earlier in the week we'd requested they be delivered there.

When we arrived, my mom was all weepy as she prepared the house for our wedding. We had decided that since it wasn't going to be at a location, we could deal with whatever decorations Alice decided we needed and had given her free reign as long as she kept things simple. Looking at the candles that were charmingly arranged, along with a few other modest decorations, in the great room where the ceremony would take place, I was pleased that she had listened and I would have a blissful bride by this time tomorrow.

I still couldn't get over the fact that Bella and I would be married. When I asked her to marry me just a couple of months ago, I had known it would change my life forever, but she'd already done that. I quickly ran our bags up to my room and was standing in the doorway when she came up behind me.

"What are you doing up here?" she asked as she wrapped her arm around my waist and leaned into my side. I wrapped my arm around her before answering.

"Thinking."

"About?"

"Our first weekend here. At the time, I thought that was the best weekend of my life. I didn't realize that I'd have so many of them, but this one...this one will probably top them all for a long time."

"I know," she sighed. "I get to marry you," she beamed at me.

I gave her a peck on the lips, because anything more would lead to a romp in the sheets, and we were expected for the rehearsal dinner downstairs.

That evening after dinner, Bella and I retired to our room and spent some time curled up with each other on the bed as we talked about what our lives would be like this year. Our baby was due in just a couple of weeks, and as anxious as I was to get her here, I was even more eager to have Bella as my wife, and that was happening today. Bella had fallen asleep just before midnight, but I still had to finish my vows. I had tried writing them on my own, but couldn't seem to come up with more than _you are the love of my life, my soul mate. _Fail. How was I supposed to be able to spend the rest of my life loving her if I couldn't even put into words how she completed me in a way I never thought anyone could?

_Fuck!_

I'd just figured out what I needed to say.

The next morning was a hustle and bustle of activity as the house was filled with caterers as well as a few other people Alice had hired to make sure our small wedding went off without a hitch. I had a mere hour before Bella would be floating down the steps, bringing me my future. The guys hurried me off into our game room where we had decided the men would get ready so that the ladies could have the upstairs as a 'penis free zone'. I had argued that wasn't possible because Rose had two penis sporting babies in her belly, and Alice could as well. They hadn't taken the bait and had turned me away with a frown.

"So, Edward," Emmett bellowed from a few feet away. How Rose ever gets any sleep, I will never know. I just hoped that their sons wouldn't have just one volume like my brother.

"What Emmett?" I whispered. "And do you have to shout? I'm right here for fuck's sake."

"Sorry," he apologized as he popped his collar and knotted the bow tie in place.

"It's okay, I'm sorry, too. I'm just a little on edge."

"Didn't get any last night?" he asked with a straight face.

"What?" I asked as I shook my head, trying to organize my thoughts. "Not that it's any of your business, but no. Bella and I did not have sex on the eve of our wedding. I thought it'd be special if that's how we spent this evening together, so we just talked last night."

"What did you talk about?"

"Why?"

"Well, it's like the last night you could sleep with another woman or man before you're considered an adulterer, did you talk about that?"

Again, what is a correct response to a question like that?

"No, Emmett, we did not talk about that. Nor did we talk about anything related to sex, okay?" I still had a hard time believing he was my brother when _this_ was his topic of choice as my best man.

"Hmm, she knows about the other women you've slept with?"

"Oh my God, Emmett, you are like the worst best man ever," I groaned as I ran my hand over my face.

"Boys," my dad announced as he knocked on the door and entered the room, followed by Jasper and the minister. "It's time," he said with a sappy grin as he ushered the guys out the door. "I'd like a minute alone with Edward, if you don't mind."

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

"You mean from the questions that Emmett was asking me about my sex life, or the fact that I'm going to be standing at the altar in a few short minutes waiting for the rest of my life to begin?"

He chuckled as I told him about Emmett's line of questioning and the fact that he definitely wasn't helping my nervousness, even though it did bring a smile to my face as I told my dad about it.

"You and Bella have shared your past experiences then?" he asked, concerned.

"Uh, yeah."

"That didn't sound very reassuring, Edward. You want to talk about it?"

"No," I sighed. "It's something that Bella and I need to discuss, but I don't want to think about it now. Let's go," I said as I walked past him and out the door.

The preacher, Emmett, and I stood at the doors to the patio where the seats were facing. I saw Rose, Jasper, Bella's mom, Jake, Nessie, and my mother seated in the first row. As the music started, my sister came walking down the aisle with Mike, Bella's _gay_ friend, followed by Izzy as she dropped the first of her flowers. She made it about half way down the short aisle before she saw her dad, and ran to him. The music continued to play out as I watched Emmett try to get Izzy to stand on the other side, but she just wanted to stand with her dad. I couldn't wait for our little girl to be old enough to be sassy and adorable.

I heard the first chords of the traditional Bridal March and immediately looked to the top of the stairs. She was standing there with her dad, and as they walked down the stairs I had to hold myself back to keep from running to her. She couldn't get to me fast enough, and with each step she took I was reminded of the fact that this was only the beginning.

When she was within arms reach, I held out my hand and she took it as she giggled and remained connected to her dad.

The preacher started the ceremony and, as soon as she could, she let go of her dad and I held both her hands in mine. The preacher went into a brief description about marriage and the beauty of finding your forever. I watched Bella as she never took her eyes off of me and I couldn't seem to look away from her. It came time for her vows and she could barely hold it together as she teared up.

"I'm sorry," she apologized as she tried to compose herself. I reached up and wiped away the tears as they ran down her face and Alice reached for a kleenex from the end table.

"Okay," she said as she took a deep breath. "I love you, Edward, and I think I'd love you even if we'd never met. You're the other part of me, the missing piece that I was meant to find. I know a lot of things with us haven't necessarily been conventional," she said with a giggle. "I can't wait to wake up to you every day, to bring children into this world with you and spend forever with you, to someday leave this world a better place having spent my life by your side."

She finished her devotion by slipping the ring on my third finger and kissing my palm. All her tears had disappeared and she beamed at me as she waited for me.

I looked into her eyes and saw the other half of my soul as it resided within her.

"Bella, _my _Bella. When I look into your eyes, I see my soul's mate. Apart, we merely just existed, but together, we're living. I can't imagine a life without you and hope I never have to experience it. You complete me in a way that I never imagined _anyone_ could. I love you _so_ much that sometimes it hurts. You're my confidant, my lover, and my best friend. _This_ is the beginning of our forever baby," I vowed as I placed a kiss against her engagement ring, just as I had done the day I asked her to marry me, before I slipped the wedding ring on her finger.

I was so lost in the fact that Bella was now my wife that I almost missed the preacher as he told me that I could kiss the bride. _My bride._ Smiling like the fool I felt like, I pulled her against me as my mouth met hers. I intended to keep it chaste, but Bella teased my lips with her tongue and I happily obliged as I opened my mouth to her. This kiss was the sealing of our oath to love each other forever.

Someone from the audience cleared their throat and I released Bella's mouth. We turned to face our families. Bella's bridal party was smiling widely at us as we walked over to them, and Mike gave Bella a tearful hug.

"I'm sorry I'm so emotional," he said as he wiped another tear from his cheek. "I just really wish Ang could have been here."

"Me, too," I heard Bella whisper as she rubbed his back and looked at me to save her.

"Mike, if you don't mind, man, can I have my wife back?" I asked as I pulled Bella away from him and kissed her bare shoulder. Even though it was still cool outside, she and Alice had found her dress in an early Spring line and it was perfect.

"Wife, huh?" she asked as she quirked her eyebrow and led me over to the cake table. "I like the sound of that."

"Mmm," I hummed as I kissed her. "Not as much as I do, Mrs. Cullen," I whispered against her lips.

There was a commotion in the kitchen that drew my attention from my lovely wife, and then we heard Emmett whooping and hollering.

"Whoo! We're having babies, ladies and gentleman," he yelled as he led his wife through the living area and out the front door.

"What?" Bella asked me as she looked around at the rest of my family that was still standing there.

"It's true," dad said as he came into the living room. "Her water broke when we were getting ready to serve the punch," he continued with a chuckle.

The announcement immediately sprang us into action and we followed them shortly after getting changed into warmer clothes. When we got to the hospital, dad met us at the door and informed us that she was already eight centimeters dilated, so it shouldn't be too long of a wait. Bella and I took a seat in the waiting room with the rest of my family. Bella and her mom were sitting in the corner of the waiting room while her dad took a seat by me.

"Thank you, Edward," he said quietly as he faced forward. "She looks so happy, and I know a lot of that can be credited to you."

"You're welcome, sir, but I don't really think it took that much effort at all. I love her, Billy."

"I know you do, Edward. I'm so thankful she found you. We were so worried when she came up here all by herself, and then once we found out that Jake was coming up here we didn't worry as much."

Our conversation continued in much the same manner as he talked a little bit more about what life had been like with both of their kids gone, how they'd dealt with letting Jake come here so soon after his accident. I wasn't even sure they would like me, let alone be thankful that I had given their little girl a reason to stay in New York.

Not even thirty minutes later, Emmett stepped out of the delivery room with a huge smile on his face. We all got up from out seats and crowded around, all talking at him at once.

"They're fine, both weighing a little over five pounds."

"Can we have the names?" Alice asked eagerly.

"Yes," he chuckled. "Ethan Jackson and Aiden James."

"When will we be able to see them?" Jasper chimed in.

Emmett explained that we'd be able to see them soon, but that he needed to get back in there before Rosie threw a fit. Just as he opened the door, we heard Rose yell for Emmett and he gave us a thumbs up as he disappeared into the room.

* * *

Well, what did you think?!? We're coming to the end of this little fic :( I only have four chapters outlined out after this one with a few epi's eventually and I'm busy outlining my next fic, Leave the Pieces which is a continuation of the Armyward I entered for the PPSS contest. Thanks to everybody that read, reviewed and voted. :)

Rec(s) OMG I have been pwned by punkfairie this week. She wrote a O/S for the CrossOver Contest TwiSherry and I had so I stumbled upon her other stories. Well, I finally had time to read her COMPLETED fic **Stripped** and OMG is it good! STILL not done with it, but I think I might be savoring it! *giggle*

You should also check out a fluffy story by the dear MrsAC titled **Falling Slowly**, it's full of win and musicward. Leave her love when you drop by :) A little birdie told me she might be updating this weekend.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine. While the author desires to keep the story as REAL as possible, Creative License may be taken.

I know it was a long wait, 20 days :( Hopefully the extra long chapter makes up for it! Check out poll on my profile!

Thank you to my beta Jessica1971 for getting this back to me even with her crazy RL and all of us that she beta's for demanding her time, lol! Reviewers, you continue to amaze me. The more love you show me, the more I feel I am writing for you and not just because I had a plot bunny bury itself in my brain, lol!

* * *

_Previously_

_Not even thirty minutes later, Emmett stepped out of the delivery room with a huge smile on his face. We all got up from out seats and crowded around, all talking at him at once._

_"They're fine, both weighing a little over five pounds."_

_"Can we have the names?" Alice asked eagerly._

_"Yes," he chuckled. "Ethan Jackson and Aiden James."_

_"When will we be able to see them?" Jasper chimed in._

_Emmett explained that we'd be able to see them soon, but that he needed to get back in there before Rosie threw a fit. Just as he opened the door, we heard Rose yell for Emmett and he gave us a thumbs up as he disappeared into the room._

**BPOV**

It had been a crazy week for our family. After Edward and I had gotten married and Rose went into labor, it almost pushed back our honeymoon and pre-babymoon, but Alice and Esme insisted that we still needed to get away for a few days. Edward had whisked me away for a three day, two night stay at the Four Seasons Hotel. While I didn't think it had been a necessity, I was ecstatic to stay at the acclaimed hotel. Somehow he'd managed to secure the Ty Warner Penthouse Suite with a 360 degree view of New York City. It was the stay of a lifetime. My favorite part had been the huge windows and the amount of light they let in. Every room pretty much had a window, including the bathroom. The hotel arranged for us to take a carriage ride around Central Park, served us breakfast in bed, and they even set up dinner on the patio one evening. Edward and I sat out there for the appetizer, but due to the temperature and the fact that I was eight months pregnant, we had finished the meal inside. We spent the remainder of the week looking at houses.

Edward was eager to find a house before the baby was born so we could all come home from the hospital to a home that was already lived in, but we just couldn't find what we were looking for. Nothing we found was able to meet enough of the requirements each of us had. We had looked at a dozen or so houses and all of them had at least one thing that we didn't like. If we loved the house, the yard was too small or was lacking a fence and the HOA rules wouldn't allow a fence. One of the houses I had really liked came with a pool, but with the baby coming we weren't interested in having to worry about safety until she was older. Some houses had too few bedrooms since we were looking for a home we could expand our family in, and one house actually had too many bedrooms and not enough of a living area. Edward needed a home office, and since he was insisting that I needed to work from home if at all possible, we were looking for a house that either had the room already or had space so we could add a room on. We continued looking, and on Friday we got a call from our realtor saying she'd found a house that had everything we'd been looking for. The only problem was that it wasn't going on the market for another month. After looking at it, we were positive it was the house for us, so Edward set about negotiating a possible move in date of April 1st. I was worried that I would be having the baby around then, but he assured me that the first baby usually came late and he didn't think she'd be here anytime soon.

On Sunday morning, Edward and I were making last minute adjustments around the house as we prepared for the family baby shower. My parents were already there, seated in the living room, and Edward insisted that I go sit down and entertain them until the rest of our family arrived.

Alice had the brilliant idea to have it at our apartment instead of at their parents' house so we wouldn't have to haul everything from their place to ours. Plus, this put me in more control over how elaborate the small family gathering would be. We'd done minimal decorating with shades of purple that matched the baby's room. Edward and I had decided on a more traditional name, but hadn't told anyone what it was. We had decided we wanted to keep it a surprise until she arrived.

Rose and the twins had been released from the hospital on Wednesday, but weren't going to be able to come to my baby shower. She'd called me this morning, apologizing again for not being able to make it, but I assured her it wasn't a problem. We made plans for Edward to bring me over after my baby shower at work. I felt bad that she'd be missing my baby shower, but she was already so tired and they had no desire to take the boys anywhere until they were a few weeks older unless it was necessary.

Everyone arrived with bags full of gifts. By the time they left, our little girl's room was full of boxes, clothes, diapers, and more clothes. It looked like every baby boutique in the greater metropolis had their entire inventory delivered to our home. We spent the party playing games, which I hated. The food was good. Alice had found a bakery that specialized in cupcakes and had them make cupcakes with mini baby shoes on them. I'd never been to a couples shower, but having Alice and Jazz, Esme and Carlisle, Bill and my mom, Jake and Nessie, and Emmett and Izzy there with Edward and I was without a doubt the best party I could have asked for. It was cute to see the excitement the guys had over the different things they had picked out for us.

We ended up cutting the party short because I was exhausted and knew I had to get up early for the second shower they were having at work the next day. Edward wanted to make sure I had plenty of rest, so we went to bed early.

He accompanied me to the office the next day and stayed through the entire thing. I was a little worried that Tanya might be taking part in the celebration, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen. When I asked my boss about it, she said that Tanya wouldn't be a problem. I gave her a questioning look and waited for more of an answer, but she wouldn't give me one. I had to dig a little deeper, and was pleasantly surprised when I was on what had to be my hundredth trip to the bathroom. I overheard Lauren telling somebody about how Tanya had gone crazy. Lauren had stopped by her house to bring her a get well gift and her husband answered the door, giving her the scoop.

"Her husband said she got sent off to the loony bin. She actually thought she was living the life of a New York socialite. That's why she never understood why Bella was a part of that circle. He said she claimed to always be busy with her charity work and when he'd followed her one time, he'd found her sitting in her car at the end of a valet line at a shop on Fifth Avenue. When he'd approached her car, she'd thought he was a valet and had tried to pawn the keys off to him. When he told her who he was, she told him she didn't have a husband, but that she was currently dating Emmett Cullen of the New York Yankees."

"Oh my God," the second voice gasped.

I couldn't believe it. I always thought it was weird that Tanya claimed to know about the people I spent time with, especially Edward's family. I never imagined she actually thought she was a part of their lives. That explained her instant recognition and familiarity with the inner workings of the socialite world.

I left the bathroom after they did and pulled Edward off to the side.

"You want a little office nookie?" he teased, placing his hands on my hips and kissing my cheek.

"I just found out what happened with Tanya," I said as I pushed him back a little bit.

"I thought Irina wasn't going to tell you anything?"

"She didn't, but I was in the bathroom and I overheard a few of the girls talking."

"Are you sure you can believe the office gossip?" he asked, doubt apparent on his face.

"She's in the nut house," I said with a smile as I thought back on all the trouble she gave me.

"You're kidding," he guffawed as he placed his hands over mine where they were resting on his chest, bringing them to his lips and kissing them.

I told him what I'd heard in the bathroom just before my boss came to let us know they were ready for us to join the shower. Edward told her we would be there in a few minutes. He knew the havoc Tanya had invoked on me at work and what a relief it was for her to be gone. He looked relieved as he pulled me into a hug and kissed me before we joined my coworkers.

Like the shower our families had thrown for us already, I received so many things that we didn't have enough room in the Volvo to get everything home. Edward called Emmett to see if he could meet us at the office with his truck to help us get things home. Rose overheard the conversation and suggested we all get together for dinner at their house, since we were going over there afterward anyway.

I chatted with a few of my coworkers while the guys loaded the vehicles. I loved watching Edward with his brother, the camaraderie they had was amazing and something I wanted our kids to have someday. When they were done, Edward came inside to hurry me along and we led Emmett back to our place. I went to our room to freshen up and change into something more comfortable than the work attire I had been wearing.

"Bella," Edward whispered as he opened our door with a light knock. "You ready to go? I think Rose is anxious for us to get there."

"Yeah, I'm almost ready," I told him as I finished getting dressed "What makes you say that?"

"She just called Emmett again," he chuckled.

"Again? How many times has she called?"

"Six."

I stepped into the hallway and could hear Emmett on the phone with Rose as he explained that they were just waiting on me and we'd be out the door in a few minutes.

"Hey Rosie, baby," he said all excited, trying to get her to stop whatever she was doing on the other end. "Bella just stepped out of the room, we're leaving now. I love you, too, sweetie."

He hung up and grabbed his keys.

"Let's go, you two, before she calls again," he hollered as he walked out the door.

The car ride to their house was mostly silent with a few comments here and there about how the party had gone. The more time Edward and I spent together without the hassle of the outside world, I found that unlike other friendships or relationships I'd had before, the silent conversations weren't filled with unnecessary chatter.

When we got to their house, Rose met us at the door with Izzy.

"Come on, the boys just went down for their nap," she informed us as she led us into the kitchen where she was fixing lasagna.

I tried to give her a brief hug but she wouldn't let go of me as I tried to step back. I brought my arms back up around her and could hear her sniffling as I motioned for the boys to leave us alone.

"Hey," I soothed as I rubbed her back. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

She let go of me and wiped her eyes. "I didn't realize how hard it was going to be," she sniffled. "I haven't slept in days, Bella, _days!_ I don't even know how I'm functioning."

"Rose, I disagree. I think you're doing a fine job, and if you need help, you have a man that loves you very much that will help in any way he can," I said as I saw Emmett stop in the doorway.

"Sorry," he apologized as he grabbed his keys that he'd tossed on the counter "I was just going to show Edward what I've done to the Camaro."

"It's okay," Rose replied casually, trying to hide that she'd been crying.

He left us again after looking at me to make sure she didn't want him to stay. I knew she'd need a while to just process things without him hovering. She told me how it never failed that when one was sleeping, the other was awake. When one was done eating, the other would be hungry, and she was constantly worrying over not showing them equal attention.

"I'm sure most moms of twins worry about that, Rose. Why didn't you call anybody? You know one of us would have been over here helping you if you felt like you needed a break. You can't be superwoman all the time."

She just shrugged as she moved to work on the salad just as the timer went off.

"I don't know - well, I do. You guys are all so busy with your own families. Especially you, look at you. You look like you're about to pop."

"Pft, I wish," I laughed. "Edward says she'll probably be late because I haven't felt a thing."

"So why don't you just schedule a delivery, that's how they did Izzy. It looked like she was going to be late and they told me that I could just pick a day."

"That's what Edward told me, and I think he'd prefer we just did it that way. I just always imagined that it would be a spur of the moment thing, one minute I'm working or cooking, or cleaning, or - "

"Having sex," Rose added with a giggle.

"What?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, you know that there's something that has to do with having an orgasm triggering contractions. Didn't you ever watch Friends, Bella?" she asked as I just stared at her slack-jawed.

I'd heard that having sex could help with speeding up the delivery of a child, but I didn't actually believe it. I made a mental note to ask Edward about it later.

Rose called for the boys to come outside and I went in search of Izzy. I found her standing in the twin's room looking between their two cribs. I felt Edward step behind me just as I was getting ready to exit the room. He wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed the spot below my ear.

"Are you ready for all this?" he asked as he motioned between the babies and Izzy.

"Twins, no. This one," I said as I smoothed out the wrinkles in my shirt over my belly, "I'm definitely ready for."

"You're going to be a great mom, Bella," he whispered as he kissed me briefly and led me out into the hallway so we wouldn't disturb the sleeping babies.

Stepping into the hallway, he pressed his lips against mine as he held me to him.

"How's Rose?" he asked once he released me.

"She's exhausted and struggling with being a mother of twins for the first time. But that's completely understandable. I just wish there was something we could do. But we've got this little one that's due in a little over a week and we still have so much to do."

"Like what?" he asked as he raised his eyebrow at me.

He was right; everything we needed to do had been done. Which is why he had agreed that if I wanted to continue working for a few more days, as long as I promised not to stand for hours on end, he didn't see a problem with that. We grabbed Izzy on our way downstairs to eat just as one of the boys woke up. Edward carried little Aiden downstairs with him while I led the three of them into the dining room.

As we sat down to eat, Rose looked so tired, even more so than before. After about fifteen minutes of silence, Ethan's cries bellowed from upstairs. Rose scooted her chair back in an effort to get up, but Emmett quickly placed his hand over hers and kissed her on the cheek. She seemed so grateful that he was going to go take care of him, and I was glad to see him make the effort to take care of her.

Watching Edward with Aiden made me even more anxious for our little girl to get here. I suddenly wasn't interested in eating. I was more interested in watching him hold Aiden as he ate with one hand. He looked like a pro as I leaned over his shoulder and ran the tips of my fingers along the tiny baby's face.

I could hear him giving Rose advice about maybe putting the two of them in the same crib for a few weeks until they got a little bit bigger. She said she'd read about that, but wasn't sure what to believe. He assured her that of the multiples' he'd delivered, some had slept in the same crib for the first several weeks, while others hadn't. He'd been informed that it helped with their sleeping habits the most if they slept together.

When Aiden started to whimper a little, I took him out of Edward's arms and laid him against my chest. He quieted down almost immediately and my food was forgotten for the evening.

Emmett entered the room a few minutes later and sat down with Rosalie, ending the conversation she had been having with Edward. He leaned towards me as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed me on the cheek.

"See, you're a natural."

Later that evening when we were lying in bed, we talked about how anxious we were both getting for our little angel to arrive. He suggested again that I could pick a day anytime now and she'd be here. Instead, I asked him about the effects of sex on labor and he suggested that we try it out.

"You're serious?" I asked as he turned his bedside lamp on before turning back to me and kissing me.

"Bella," he whispered, kissing me. "I'm serious as a heart attack. You're ready to have this baby, and I'm all too willing to make love to my sexy wife. Besides, even if it doesn't work this time, we can always try it again tomorrow night," he said with a chuckle as he slowly unbuttoned my night shirt.

We spent the night making love and then tried it out again the next several nights.

***

It was now the first week of April. My due date had come and gone with not one single contraction. I was in the middle of looking over a layout for our next article when Irina called me into her office. After a brief conversation about how I was feeling and how she had felt before she'd had her first child, she told me that it was alright if I wanted to go home. When I insisted that all I'd do if I was at home was mope around, she wouldn't hear it and I called Edward to see if he was available to pick me up.

He arrived about a half an hour later and took me home where he annoyed the crap out of me. I wanted to make us a nice meal since we were both home during the afternoon, but he suggested in his 'this isn't a suggestion, but I want you to think it is' tone that I shouldn't be standing. I argued that if I wanted this baby to come out, she certainly wasn't going to do so if I was just sitting around on my ass blocking her exit.

He chuckled and tried to wrap his arms around me, like he'd been trying to do for the past few days. I had grown miserable as the days went on. I knew I could tell him to take me to the hospital and they would induce me, but I didn't want that. If she wasn't in a hurry, I didn't want to rush her. Her father would be doing enough of that once she was here.

"Bella, babe," I heard Edward call for me while I was washing my hands in the bathroom. I could almost swear it was my twenty-fifth trip of the day, and it was only four thirty. I finished up quickly and walked out to find Edward leaning over and looking in the fridge. His ass looked delectable in his tight jeans.

"Are you looking for something, Edward?" I asked as I stood in the entryway.

"I can't find the orange juice," he whined a little as he stomped his foot and stood up so I could take a look. But I was more concerned with the mini tantrum I had just witnessed.

"Did you just stomp your foot?" I asked, confused as I pulled the juice out of the door and handed it to him.

"What?" he asked as he focused on pouring juice into a glass.

"I asked if you just stomped your foot, like you were throwing a temper tantrum."

"What?" he asked, bewildered. "No. I mean, I was a little frustrated. But I stomped my foot?"

I couldn't help but laugh at the confusion on his face. It did seem odd, which is probably why I was a little concerned about it in the first place. I had heard that other children and even pets get a little weird around the birth of a new baby, but he was the daddy. He was just as much a part of this scenario as I was.

I finished fixing the Chicken Salad I had started before my bathroom excursion and we sat down to eat at the dinner table.

"How was your day?" he asked as soon as he was finished with his sandwich.

"You mean before or after I was forced to come home?"

He chuckled, "Before."

"It was fine," I said as I started to tell him about the project I had been asked to look over before I left. Since I was supposed to already be on maternity leave, they hadn't assigned any projects to me so I had been given the task of Junior Creative Director. I basically looked the project over before and after the Creative Director did to voice my thoughts and make sure that she hadn't missed anything.

After we were both finished, he took both of our plates into the kitchen and loaded them into the dishwasher while I put away the sandwich items.

"And now that you're home with me?" he asked as he stood behind me and rubbed my shoulders.

"Better, but you didn't make me do anything." I told him as he bent over and started kissing my neck. His hands massaged down my arms and he linked his hands with mine. His lips traveled down my neck and I giggled when he reached the indent at my shoulder. "Stop it, that tickles," I screeched as he wrapped his arms tightly around me.

"I'm sorry. I know that tickles, but I just can't get enough of you."

"Well, you're going to have to stop because if I laugh too hard, I'm not responsible for what will happen. You see me take fifty-two trips a day to the restroom," I reminded him as I squirmed out of his arms and headed off to our bedroom. I pulled out some sweats from the dresser and went into the bathroom to change because the longer I was pregnant after my due date, the more uncomfortable I was. I was no longer a cute pregnant woman; I was a fat, way overdue pregnant woman.

I heard Edward knock on the door.

"Just a minute," I hollered as I stood in front of the mirror. He must not have heard me because he came in anyway and stopped in the doorway.

"Why are you changing in here?" he asked as I shrugged and turned my back to him so I could put my shirt on. He placed his hand on my arm before I could get it over my head. "Come on, don't hide yourself from me," he said as he pulled me toward him and rubbed his hands up and down my back. "You never used to change in the bathroom."

"Oh come on, Edward! Do I look like I need to have people looking at me and watching me while I change into clothes that barely fit me?"

"I'm not _people,_ sweetheart, and if the clothes don't fit you, just don't wear any," he suggested with his crooked grin as he tried to wrap his arms around me.

I turned to look in the mirror and he stepped behind me. He moved all of my hair to one side of my neck and kissed my shoulder.

"You," he paused as he kissed me again, "are the most beautiful," _kiss_ "woman," _kiss_ "I have ever seen," he finished as he continued to kiss across my shoulder and up my neck.

"Even when we're old and grey, when I can barely see you without my glasses, and your boobs are hanging down to here," he stopped as he brushed his hand over my breast and indicated an invisible spot in the center of my belly, "you'll still be the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

I chuckled as I leaned back against him and felt how true that statement was as he ground his arousal against me.

"Why do you make it so hard to say no?" I asked. He had been hinting at sex for the last couple of days and I had refused to consider it the bigger I got. I just hadn't felt very sexy since my due date had passed. I constantly felt irritable, especially when Edward tried to initiate sex. If I wasn't tired, I was achy, or the baby was moving around and making things uncomfortable.

"Maybe because you're not supposed to. I'd like to make love to my wife," he replied as he kissed my cheek and started to lead me to our bedroom. He stopped, glancing back at me before he got to the door, and his eyes darted from me to the bathroom counter. He gently pushed me back against the counter and his hand that had been holding mine traveled down and around my thigh as he reached around me and swiftly lifted me onto the counter.

"What are you doing?" I hissed as he kissed me and massaged the top of my thighs.

"Helping you to relax," he whispered as he spread my legs and knelt down in front of me.

"I don't think that is such a – oh, god," I breathed as he placed a kiss against the inside of my thigh.

He continued to rub his hands along my legs as he pushed them further apart. Kissing his way up my thigh, he ventured from one side to the other as I reached down and threaded my fingers through his hair. He continued to tease me, and just as I was about to tell him to fuck it and have his way with me, he flattened his tongue and licked my sex.

"Edward," I moaned as he sucked my sensitive nub between his lips.

"Hmm," he hummed against me, causing me to buck against him as I sought more friction.

Edward stayed between my legs as I moaned and writhed above him. For a smooth talking doctor, he sure did have a talented dirty mouth.

"Shit," I swore as he grazed his teeth against me for the third time in a row, and I came against his mouth.

"Beautiful," he said after he was done, kissing the inside of my thigh. "You're so beautiful when you come, baby."

I was leaning back against the counter, completely satisfied by the man standing in front of me. He wiped his face with a wash cloth before running the cool cloth against my overheated sex.

He helped me off the counter and out of the bathroom.

Just as we stepped onto the carpet, I felt my water break and immediately stopped in my tracks. He turned around and I could tell he was ready to try and convince me some more, but as soon as he saw the look on my face, his eyes trailed down to where mine were focused.

Instead of panicking like any first time father might, he merely looked up at me and smiled before he calmly said, "We're having a baby."

* * *

EPIC A/N - Welp, looks like I need to get to finishing this here story since another baby is about to be born! You all need to thank kassiah on twitter for making sure Bella got her some...I wasn't going to give you any deets, but she said...there should be a little somethin', somethin' right there.

Thanks for the reviews guys, I have a little poll up on . With all the crappiness that is going on with fanfiction, I'm looking at other possibilities because I don't like bringing them business if they don't want us here. So, I need to know which fiction site(s) that allows the smut would you like to see my stories on and I will try to make sure it's there. This story is already on Twilighted, but I don't like that being the sole place anything resides.

Last day to submit your story for the contest the TwiGirls are hosting is 2-28. It's a cute contest...the Will You Marry Me? Contest. Another one will be coming in May that follows it as the Here Comes the Bride Contest!

I'm offering up a banner for one person that enters the WYMM? Contest...drawn randomly, you don't even have to win :) Another banner is also being given away for the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Cullen Contest that ends 3-28. Both contests can be found at twificnews com.

Rec(s) - You HAVE to read **Spirit to Flesh** by Littlewing2 because it's awesome! She's awesome and she wrote her little heart out and now it's complete and over :( But OH so good! Link on heatherdawnffrecs blogspot com

Shameless Plug - Check out my new Armyward story Leave the Pieces :)

Tweet with me heatherdawnxoxo

Blog with me heatherdawnxoxo blogspot com


	23. Chapter 23

Thank you so much for all your reviews. The baby is here! Just remember, I am a HEA all the way. The next chapter will be posted within the next 48 hours, so you don't have to wait long!

Thanks to my beta Jessica1971, and everybody that preread this for me...important chapter!

* * *

**EPOV**

I turned back around and quickly grabbed Bella's discarded clothes from the bathroom, tossing them to her as I grabbed the overnight bag and the diaper bag from the closet.

"Did you already put the car seat in the car?" she asked in a panicked voice. "I didn't see it in there when you picked me up from work."

Walking over to her, I kissed her on the lips as she pulled her hair out of her shirt and slipped her shoes on.

"Yes, dear," I teased, taking her hand and leading her out of the apartment, grabbing our coats and my keys on the way.

I had already put a call in to Addison on our way to the hospital, so she met us as we stepped off the elevator.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," she said with a wink as she led us over to the room I had requested. Since it was a slow night in the maternity wing, we were able to have a private room like we'd wanted. I had also called our parents to let them know it was time. Luckily, her mom hadn't left yet. They'd been staying in New York, doing some sightseeing. She was a substitute teacher, so she had informed the schools she subbed for that she'd be on an extended leave until after the baby was born. She and Billy had become quite accustomed to the New York lifestyle. They'd joined us or my parents for dinner often when they weren't making day trips to other parts of the tri-state area.

"Did you call your siblings?" Bella asked as she slipped on the gown that was waiting for her in the room. "You know your sister will kill us if she misses this."

I laughed as I helped her onto the bed. "She's already on her way. She was with mom when I told her, don't worry," I whispered as I kissed her on the cheek and Addison walked in.

As she started prepping Bella, I stepped out of the room to put my scrubs on. I spotted my dad talking with a few of the nurses in the hallway and he waved at me. He knew how nervous I was about the delivery and had told me he'd be right outside the door should anything go wrong. By the time I got back, Addison had already checked her cervix and let me know that Bella was dilated to seven.

"That's great, beautiful," I said as I took a seat next to her bed and held her hand, lacing her fingers with mine. "That means she'll probably be here before midnight."

"Good," she replied as a contraction came on and she crushed my hand.

"Breathe, Bella," I said as I kissed her forehead and stood up to look at the monitor.

She was doing so great and her contractions were remaining steady as they increased in length as the first of our family members arrived.

"Bella," Alice screeched as she breezed into the room with Jasper right behind her. He was carrying a huge bouquet of flowers, a teddy bear, and balloons.

"Alice?" Bella questioned as she took in my sisters innocent shrug before she told Jazz to put the stuff on the bedside table.

"Bella, you never know how bored you're going to get while you wait for her to get here. I just brought you some stuff you might need."

"Alice, I don't need flowers or a bear, and what the hell is this?" she asked as she held up a gossip magazine Alice had just laid in her lap.

"Reading material," Alice said with a shrug.

"I don't need re-aaah, fucking reading material," she screamed as she gave me the evil eye and another contraction hit.

"Why don't you guys go out and see if anybody else is here, okay? My wife and I need a minute," I suggested as they quickly left the room. Alice was close to tears as Jasper tried to convince her that it was just the pain of labor talking and that Bella really wasn't mad at her. I chuckled at the two of them, looking back at Bella who was still scowling.

"Hi, beautiful," I greeted her as I swooped in for a kiss, but she turned her head and I ended up kissing her cheek. "Bella, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said with a pout as she crossed her arms, releasing my hand.

"That's a lie," I stated as I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and swept the back of my hand along her cheek and neck. She didn't say anything, preferring to stare out the window of her hospital room. I pulled a stool next to her bed and sat down, resting my hand on the top of her thigh that was sticking out from under the blankets.

"I know," she said without looking at me. After a few minutes her hand found mine on her leg and she tried to fight another contraction.

"Baby," I sighed. "I know you're in pain and it's okay if you're mad at me for whatever reason, but if you're having a contraction, you shouldn't fight it, sweetheart."

Her eyes watered, but before she had the chance to cry, another contraction was coming on and she was squeezing my hand.

Our mothers ventured into the room, so I turned to leave, but Bella didn't let go of my hand. Turning back to her, she tugged on my arm, causing me to lean down to her. I kissed her on the cheek right next to her ear.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's alright, beautiful," I said as I kissed her on the lips. "I'm just going to get you some ice chips, okay?" I asked as I heard my mother rattle the container she had brought in. "Or not."

"Good," she whispered as she played with the sleeve of my scrub before she wrapped her hand around my bicep. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Bella."

"How's our girl doing?" Renee asked as she approached the opposite side of Bella's bed and grabbed her other hand.

"I'm good, Mom," she said as I sat back down on my stool and my mother came up beside me.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said as she laid her hand on top of Bella's and mine. "How are you feeling?"

"Hi, Mom," I answered. "I'm a little tired."

"What makes you think I was talking to you, son, and not your lovely wife?" she asked with a smirk.

"Well, I, uh, I..." I stuttered as she laughed and Bella giggled at us. If my mother could bring Bella out of her mood by making fun of me, she could do it all damned day.

"We're fine, Esme," Bella replied as she ran her fingers up and down my forearm and winked at me. "And, yes, we're both tired."

"Well, that's to be expected," my mother said with a snicker as she looked between the two of us and Renee.

"We'll let you two have some more time," Renee said as she hugged her daughter. "Take care of my little girl," she prompted as she hugged me and they left the room with their arms around each other, giggling like school girls.

"I'm glad they get along," Bella said with a smile as she reached for her cup.

"Here, let me help you with that," I said as I reached for her glass and filled it with ice chips.

"Why can't I have water?" she asked. I chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"How many times a day do you go to the bathroom?" I asked as I pulled an ice cube out of the cup and stuck one in my mouth before feeding one to her.

"Oh," she said as recognition shone on her face.

We sat there for an hour as our family slowly trickled in and took turns visiting.

"How are the contractions?" I asked as another member of our family left the room.

"They're coming a lot quicker now," she said as she closed her eyes and rested her head back against her pillow.

"That's normal, sweetheart," I assured her as I smoothed her hair out of her face. She'd been doing so well with everything going on, from our crazy family to the members of the staff that knew us and wanted to stop by to see if the baby was here yet. I finally had enough and requested that the room remain empty until Bella was out of labor and our little girl was here.

Bella reached up and ran her finger along the bridge of my nose then up between my eye brows.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"You need to relax, Edward," she said as I leaned down to kiss her.

"I know," I sighed against her lips. "I'm just worried about you, baby."

Addison came in a few minutes later to check on Bella.

"It looks like you're ready to go," she said as she winked at us. "I'll be right back."

Addison left the room and I gave Bella a searing kiss, because I knew once she started pushing she wouldn't really want me anywhere near her unless it was to hurt me. When Addison came back in the room, she immediately took her position and started prepping Bella to push.

"Okay, Bella, on your next contraction, I want you to push."

I stood next to Bella's hospital bed as I wiped the sweat that had begun to form on her face after her first few pushes. She was surprisingly calm as she took each contraction in stride. When her water broke earlier, I could see in her face that she was on the brink of passing out, but she remained calm when I did.

I glanced down between her legs where Addison was seated as she encouraged Bella to push again. After thirty minutes of pushing, I heard the first cry of our baby girl. I was ecstatic as I listened to the beautiful sound. I was finally a father.

"Congratulations guys, she's beautiful," Addison said as she stood and held her out to me so I could cut the cord. I took the baby from her and turned to Bella, immediately noticing that her eyes were no longer open and she looked pale, paler than she normally did.

"Bella," I said as my voice wavered. Her eyes fluttered open just as Addison hollered for someone to bring in some A-negative, which was Bella's blood type. I looked from Bella to Addison just as her eyes closed again.

Addison looked up at me and frowned. "She's hemorrhaging," she said, answering my question before I even asked it. "Edward, you need to step outside while we get this taken care of."

"I'm not leaving Bella," I said as she motioned for someone to start the procedure. If I left her, I couldn't control the situation. Scared didn't even begin to describe how I was feeling; I was terrified that if I left I might never see her again. It was irrational, but she needed me.

"Edward, I don't think you'll be any help. You have a daughter to attend to," she stated as she glanced at my wife and the chaos in the room erupted. "Please leave the room before I have to ask someone to see you out. You know you need to leave, Edward. You would ask the same thing of any other father in your situation."

"I can't leave her." I started to argue but my dad appeared behind her as he rushed to Bella's side and I heard the flat line of the machine give way.

One of the nurses took my baby girl from my arms and hurried me out the room as I fought against them. I had to get back to her! Emmett immediately appeared at my side.

"Come on, man," he said as he wrapped his arm around me and led me into the waiting room.

My family was standing when I entered and my mother was the first to pull me into a hug. I didn't say anything as I took a seat in one of the chairs and they crowded around me. They were all offering words of encouragement, and even though I needed to hear them, I had to believe that she would be fine. Hemorrhaging was something that could happen during any delivery, and Bella was certainly no exception. She _had_ to be fine.

It seemed like we sat there for hours when it was probably no more than several minutes before my dad and Addison came out of the room holding my baby girl.

Addison walked up to me and placed her in my arms. She was beautiful, just like her mother - dark hair and deep brown eyes looking back at me. She stepped back and my dad rested his hand on my shoulder.

"She lost a lot of blood, Edward," Addison whispered as my entire world crumbled around me.

* * *

**Just remember, I am a HEA all the way. **The next chapter will be posted within the next 48 hours, so you don't have to wait long! I've posted a teaser that should alleviate your concerns, check it out here twilighted(dot)net/forum/viewtopic(dot)php?f=44&t=5880&p=956062#p956062

Now I'll be in hiding as I watch the Alice in Wonderland in Disney 3D! I did post a smutty outtake, so check that out on my profile!


	24. Chapter 24

I think this is pretty good...more like 30 hrs or so, yes? Thank you all for the reviews and for all the emails. HEA is Happily Ever After, if you were wondering. Thanks to my beta Jessica1971, my prereaders :)

Let's see how things turned out, shall we?

* * *

_Previously_

_It seemed like we sat there for hours when it was probably no more than several minutes before my dad and Addison came out of the room holding my baby girl._

_Addison walked up to me and placed her in my arms. She was beautiful, just like her mother - dark hair and deep brown eyes looking back at me. She stepped back and my dad rested his hand on my shoulder._

_"She lost a lot of blood, Edward," Addison whispered as my entire world crumbled around me._

**EPOV**

I stood in the dark room as the moonlight streamed through the window and thought back on all that had transpired since Bella and I had arrived at the hospital. Addison and my dad had come out of the delivery room and informed me that she'd lost a lot of blood and was resting. I had immediately asked to see her, but she was being moved to her room, so I had to wait a little while.

That was hours ago, and I had been sitting in the room ever since. The sun was due to rise in a few hours, but I wasn't in any hurry for it to get here. The longer Bella remained asleep, the likelihood she would wake up decreased. I had sat in the chair next to her bed for the first several hours and only ventured over to see the baby because she'd started to fuss a little.

I knew what to do to comfort a baby, but I just didn't have the will to do anything without Bella. Our family was still in the waiting room, with the exception of Alice, who we had insisted go home and get some rest. Renee had spent some time in the room with me after they'd brought the baby in. I'd refused to name her until Bella woke up. We'd decided on a name, but I wanted Bella to be the one to name her.

Over the past several hours, our mothers had taken turns caring for the baby. While one would be resting in the waiting room, the other would be rocking her back to sleep or changing her diaper. I don't think I would have gotten through the night without either of them.

The baby started to cry again and I shoved my hands in my pockets as I looked down at her. Alice had dressed her in a purple onesie and wrapped her up in a coordinating blanket. Renee had made a comment earlier about how much she looked like Bella had when she was born. I was fucking relieved. We had been a little apprehensive that our little girl would come out looking nothing like Bella, and she would have the reminder of what had happened every day for the rest of our little girl's life. So when I looked down and saw a tiny replica of my beautiful wife, I was overjoyed.

I stood there and waited for her to stop crying like I waited for Bella to wake up, but neither happened. The quiet room with the steady beep coming from the heart monitor was the only thing anchoring me to the present. I continued to look at our little girl and noticed all the similarities she had with Bella. She even had a few that could be attributed to me, even though that was impossible.

"There's really no way you could look like me at all, sweet girl. You are absolutely gorgeous, just like your mommy. She's an amazing woman. She already loves you so much," I whispered to her as she stared up at the ceiling while her little lip quivered.

I started to tell her all the little things I loved about Bella, and that kept her quiet for a little while. She started to stir again and her whimpers turned into a full out cry.

"She wants you to pick her up," Bella whispered from the bed.

"I know, but I ca--Bella," I gasped as I turned around and saw her eyes open as she lay there, watching me. "Oh...oh my, thank God," I choked as I rushed over to her and immediately encased her in my arms, smothering her face with kisses as I breathed a sigh of relief that she'd woken up.

Leaning back, I ran my hands over her entire body, from the top of her head, down her chest, across her stomach and over the sheet that covered her legs. She was awake and she would be fine.

Sitting back down on the bed next to her, I kissed the back of her hand and set it in my lap as I clung to her. The baby was quietly fussing in the background and Bella was focused on me, but I could see the struggle as she looked towards the tiny bassinet where our daughter was.

"Do you want to see her?" I asked as she nodded her head and smiled for the first time since she'd woken up.

"What happened?" she asked as I walked over to get our daughter out of the bassinet. I leaned over and, for the first time since she'd been brought to Bella's room, I held our daughter in my arms. I had been afraid that if I held her while Bella was sleeping that she wouldn't ever wake up. She needed to know that I needed her and couldn't do this without her. It was such an irrational thing to do, but it had made sense in the past several hours.

"You hemorrhaged shortly after you delivered her and lost a lot of blood, baby," I said as I sat on the edge of Bella's bed and laid our daughter in her arms. Bella situated herself so she was able to hold her against her chest.

I watched as the two most important people in my life interacted for the first time. Bella cuddled the baby against her as she placed a kiss on her forehead and looked up at me.

"How long have I been out?" she asked as she smoothed the baby's hair out.

"All night," I whispered as I placed my finger in our daughter's hand. "You delivered her at ten and you've been out of it since then."

"What time is it?" she asked as she glanced around the room for a clock.

"Shortly after five in the morning," I yawned.

"Edward," she sighed. "Did you sleep at all?" she asked, knowing the answer even before I shook my head. She ran her free hand lightly over my tired eyes and I leaned against her hand and kissed her palm.

"I love you," I whispered, looking into her eyes.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," she responded. "You should get some rest, Edward. I can take care of her."

"I know you can, beautiful, but I just want to sit here with you for a little while, okay? I'll take a nap in a little bit."

Bella's attention returned to our daughter, who had fallen back asleep almost as soon as she was in her mother's arms.

"How much did she weigh?"

"Seven pounds, eleven ounces. She was twenty-one inches long, already had a head full of hair when she came out."

"What did you name her?" she asked as I ran my fingers through her hair.

"I didn't," I told her as she looked at me quizzically.

"Why not? We already had a name picked out."

"I know, but I just couldn't name her without you here," I told her as I leaned towards her and gently kissed her lips.

"What if I wouldn't have ma-?" she asked as my eyes shot open.

"Don't," I whispered, pleading with her. She obviously had no idea what state of mind I had been in for the last several hours, that I'd cried more since I'd brought her into the hospital than I'd ever cried in my entire life. I hated being such an emotional fuck when she was the one that I should have been focusing on.

"But," she started to say before I cut her off.

"No." I stated. "That wasn't an option. You're here, you're fine," I said, repeating the words out loud that had been revolving in my mind ever since she'd opened her eyes. I glanced up at her and saw that she was no longer looking at me; her focus was on our daughter.

"Did you still want to name her Abigail?" I asked as she looked up at me and I saw tears in her eyes. "Bella," I sighed, sorry that I'd been a little too harsh with her. I placed my fingers under her chin, lifting it ever so slightly as I placed my lips at her ear. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," I whispered as I kissed her cheek. "I didn't mean to make you cry, it's just been a long night."

She leaned her head against mine and nodded.

"Jane," she whispered as she cleared her throat. "Abigail Jane," she said a bit louder as she turned to look at me.

"Really?" I asked. She nodded.

We'd discussed several different names, but after Jane's death, we'd quickly shifted our focus from some of the original names we'd come up with and decided we wanted to do something to honor the young life of the patient I had lost.

"Hi Abby," she whispered as she gave her an Eskimo kiss.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked as I reached for the call button.

"They need to know you're awake," I told her as a voice I'd never heard answered the page.

"Yes?" the female voice said.

"Uh, this is Dr. Cullen. Could you please let Dr. Montgomery know that Bella Cullen in room 244 is awake."

"Yes, of course, Dr. Cullen. Is there anything else you'd like me to tell Dr. Montgomery?"

"No, that'll be all. Thank you."

"Who was that?" Bella asked.

"I have no idea," I said as I shook my head while I continued to stare at my beautiful girls. I hadn't been able to look away from Bella for longer than necessary since she woke up. She had been beautiful to me since the first time I had seen her, but she was even more breathtaking now as she held our little girl in her arms.

Addison came into the room just as I was about to discuss something with her. We'd have to save that discussion for a later time.

"How's the new mommy?" she asked as she placed Bella's chart on her bedside table after she'd checked over her vitals.

"I'm good," Bella said as she smiled up at Addison.

"That's good to hear. You gave us quite a scare, Bella," she told her as she brushed her hand along the side of Abby's face. "If Edward thinks you're doing good," she paused as she looked up at me and I nodded, "then I think it's about time we see if she's hungry."

"I'm not hungry," Bella said, never taking her eyes off of Abby.

Addison laughed, "Not you, mommy, baby girl here. What did you end up naming her by the way?" she asked as she looked between the two of us.

"Abigail Jane," I said as I kissed Abby on the head and backed away from the bed.

"Where are you going?" Bella asked as Addison winked at me.

"Oh, uh...did you want me to stay for this?" I asked, a little unsure. I mean, I wanted to be here for her, I _never_ wanted to leave her side, but this was something that Addison or one of the female nurses usually handled for my patients.

She nodded her head as Addison began to explain to her about breast feeding. I was barely listening to Addison as she instructed Bella to remove her hospital gown. She started to reach behind her to untie the top string, but I rested my hand on the back of her neck as I undid it for her. The gown fell down off her shoulder and she slid her arm through the sleeve, revealing her engorged breast. _Fuck._ This would be the longest Bella and I had ever gone without sex since our first time, and I would have to wait until she was better before I took advantage of the added benefits of having a baby. I had loved her body as it grew with our child, but looking at her now as she held Abigail to her breast, I was insanely turned on and that was not good for either of us. I would not pressure her for anything until her body was fully healed; I knew the complications that came with not waiting.

"That's good," Addison whispered as she snapped me back to reality.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Bella asked as I wrapped my arm around her and gently kneaded her breast a little. It took a few minutes and a couple tries before Abby began to suck.

"Oh!" Bella gasped.

"Does it hurt?" I asked quickly as I looked from Addison to Bella. I'd never been around for this part. We had to watch videos and study the appropriate techniques in case we ever needed to help a new mother out. It wasn't that I was uncomfortable helping a woman with something so natural, I was just uncomfortable standing in a room with a topless woman that was not my wife, touching her breast while her husband scowled at me.

She shook her head as she cradled Abby and rocked her gently, back and forth.

Abby drank until her little belly was full and she snuggled against her mother. I loved seeing them like this. My heart swelled at the love I felt for the two of them. I lifted our baby girl into my arms and burped her, excited to be able to help out wherever I could. After we had Abby back in her bassinet, Bella finally talked me into taking a nap. I called the front desk to have someone bring in another hospital bed that I could sleep on and I was out like a light.

When I awoke several hours later, Bella was reading a book to Abby. I knew why, it was something most new mothers did. They thought it would stimulate their minds. Me, I chose to go with the fact that you could be reading them the newspaper or a romance novel and it would still have the same effect. The sound of a mothers' voice is the best thing for a child, not what they're reading to them.

I stood from the bed and walked over to Bella, amazed that I had slept the day away. She looked up and smiled at me, making my heart swell with joy.

Bella and I were up and down all night as we adjusted to Abby's sleeping and feeding schedule.

"Hey, you two," Addison said as she came strolling through the door the next morning. "Well, Bella, it looks like you can go home."

"What?" I asked, shocked as I stared at Addison.

"Yeah, all her levels are normal. She's already a pro at breastfeeding," she said with a wink at us. "And it's not like she isn't going home with a doctor that knows what he's doing. You'll be fine, and if you have any complications, you can always come back in."

I wasn't ready to take Bella home yet. The family was busy putting the house back together. We had just moved into our new home a few days before Bella's water broke because we were tired of waiting. We'd thought that since the baby wasn't already here, we would just wait until after the baby was born to move in. When Bella was a week over her due date and wouldn't let Addison induce her, we decided to go ahead and move in, and then she went into labor.

"Addison, can I talk to you?" I asked as I kissed Bella on the cheek. "I'll be right back, baby. I love you."

I kissed her lips before I stood up and followed Addison out of the room. We entered the busy hallway. As soon as the door was shut, she turned around with a smile on her face.

"What are you grinning for? I told you I wanted to wait until the house was ready, and you told me it shouldn't be a problem keeping her admitted until then," I said with a huff as I ran my fingers through my hair. It felt disgusting, _I really needed a shower. _

"Oh would you stop and listen to yourself," she said as she leaned against the wall. "Edward, if I told you that's what I would do, then why would I not do it?"

"Hey, brother," Alice said as she came up to me and slid her arm around my waist in a side hug.

"Hey, Alice," I mumbled as I hugged her back. "Alice? What are you...I thought you were going to, I mean, what are you -"

"It's done," she said with a wave of her hand as she reached for the handle to Bella's room.

"It's done?" I asked, shocked. "You got everything put away and organized in two days, Alice?"

"Yep, I called somebody from that closet store that just opened and they sent out a crew. The place looks fabulous," she said with a smile as she opened the door and squealed at the sight of my wife and baby girl.

"Oh, Bella, she's so adorable," she said as she rubbed her hand along her own swollen belly.

"Would you like to hold her?" Bella asked as she held her up to Alice, who was nodding and smiling at her niece.

"She's so tiny," she whispered as she cradled Abby in her arms. "She looks just like you, Bella."

I smiled at my sister and looked down at my wife, who was beaming as she watched Alice make faces at Abby.

"Yeah," Bella sighed, "she does." She squeezed my hand and Addison came in with her discharge papers. I quickly filled them out while Alice held Abby and assisted Bella with the outfit she had brought with her. I was surprised to see that Alice had chosen a coordinating sweat suit instead of insisting that Bella wear something that might be more fashionable. Of course when Alice turned around and Abby was dressed in the same sweat suit as her mother, I could see how that would be Alice's choice.

"I'm going to go down and pull the car around, you guys will be okay getting downstairs? Or would you like me to come back up here to get you when I pull in?" I asked before I left the room.

"Oh, we'll be fine, you worrywart," Alice said with a wave of her hand as she tied Bella's shoe lace while Bella held Abby.

I left my girls and ran downstairs to get the car. It was still where Emmett said he had moved it to after I'd hastily left it when I brought her in. Pulling up to the Maternity door, Bella, Alice, Abby, and Addison were all just stepping through the door. Bella was holding Abby in her arms as they wheeled her out to the car as I opened the doors. I helped Bella into the front seat while Alice strapped Abby into her car seat and got in the back with her.

"Alice, where's your car?" I asked as I eyed her in the back seat next to my daughter.

"Jaz dropped me off on the way to your place," she said with a wink. I shut the doors and ran around to my side, thanking Addison for all she'd done and letting her know I'd be in next week sometime for a few hours. I was allotted quite a bit of time for maternity leave, but with Addison leaving I wanted to make sure everything was ready to go.

I drove in the direction of our new house where everybody was supposed to have gathered to welcome us home. Alice had even mentioned that Rose and the twins might be there if they were feeling up to it. I knew Bella was anxious to get home, but I hoped that she would be surprised to have the house ready for her and not filled with boxes.

I pulled up and saw the cars of our family as a welcoming beacon on our new driveway. We pulled up to the front of the house and Bella let out a gasp as the family came out of the house and swarmed the car. I got out and quickly hugged my mom and dad while Alice pulled Abby out of her car seat.

"She's absolutely beautiful, you guys," my mom said as she turned from us towards her granddaughter, pulling her out of Alice's arms and carrying her into the house.

"Come on, beautiful," I whispered in Bella's ear as I kissed her cheek and helped her out of the car. I had intended on helping her out and letting her walk into the house, but she knew me too well.

"You aren't going to carry me?" she asked with a knowing smile on her face.

"Well, in that case," I huffed as I swept her up into my arms as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I love you, Edward," she whispered as she leaned in and kissed me on the lips.

"I love you, too, beautiful," I replied as I carried her over the threshold and into our house where our family was still standing in the entryway.

I carried her though the crowd of our family and sat her on the couch where Alice had propped pillows for her. The family migrated into the living area where I had just placed Bella and my mother put Abby in her arms.

"Edward," my mom called, "why don't you sit next to Bella and we'll get a family shot. I didn't get one in the hospital," she said with a pout. I walked over to the spot Alice had vacated and sat down next to Bella. She held Abby for the first few shots as I sat with my arm wrapped around her, then my mom had us switch and I was holding Abby while Bella placed her hand on my thigh. Bella was busy nuzzling into my neck as my mom said to get closer when Emmett came bounding into the living area.

"Hey guys, where are the forks?" he asked as he held out a piece of lasagna my mother had brought over for dinner.

"Oh, sorry Emmett," Bella apologized as she started to stand. I adjusted Abby to my other side so I could help Bella if she needed it. "They're probably still in the...boxes," she finished as she looked around the room.

"Edward, what happened to all of my boxes?" she asked as we walked through the living room and into the kitchen.

"I had the family put them away. I know you have specific places for things, but I didn't want you to have to worry about tripping over a box after you came home from the hospital," I stumbled over my excuse and straight into an apology as she placed her finger over my lips.

She shook her head at me as she removed her finger and kissed me.

"It's okay, thank you. I just didn't realize they would've had time to put _everything_ away. Thank you all, so much," Bella whispered as she wiped at a tear and wrapped her arms tighter around me.

"Well," my mom said as she ushered everybody out of the kitchen, "I think we'll just leave the three of you for the evening. I'll be over tomorrow to check on things," she said with a wink as they left us standing in the kitchen.

"Come on, beautiful," I said as I led Bella out of the kitchen and into our room. I laid Abby down in her bassinet while Bella removed her clothes and crawled into bed. It was a little early to be heading to bed, but it had been a long few days. Once I had Abby situated, I stripped down to my boxers and crawled into bed with my wife.

Pulling her toward me, I wrapped my arm around her and could already tell how different she felt against me without the baby between us.

"I love you, Bella," I whispered as I kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you for giving me the most precious gift in the entire world."

* * *

Sooo, thank you all for being so wonderful. I didn't have one nasty review after I left you with a HUGE cliffie. I had always intended it to be that way, but after I wrote it, I could have just had ONE long chapter, but it didn't flow as well. So a million times, thank you!

I didn't choose for her to need a hysterectomy because she didn't lose enough blood for that. It was enough to cause alarm, but not enough to require any major setbacks...other than the fact that she was exhausted and needed to sleep for quite a while after delivery. Thanks again, this story wouldn't be as much fun to write without all of you reading it!

Rec(s) are going to be **The Harder They Fall** by ironictwist and **The Agent and The Esquire** by hockeymom4 - Links on my FFRec(s) blog! - link on profile.

Also, you should know about the #readalong that happens nightly on twitter. On April 1st, I will be hosting while we read through Let Your Light Shine. For more info, see my blog - link on profile.

I've been participating in the March WitFit Daily Challenges and some of them are little drabbles of future 3, 2, 1 events. Mini epi's, but not ALL of them. Just if you're interested, you can check out what I write when I only have 24 hours, 1 prompt and no beta :)

The second part of the From Yes to I Do series...'Til Death Do Us Part is the Wedding O/S or continuation of your proposal entry. We will start accepting entries on April 15th!


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine. While the author desires to keep the story as REAL as possible, Creative License may be taken.

**Epic A/N at the end with thanks and everything.**

* * *

_Previously_

_"Come on, beautiful," I said as I led Bella out of the kitchen and into our room. I laid Abby down in her bassinet while Bella removed her clothes and crawled into bed. It was a little early to be heading to bed, but it had been a long few days. Once I had Abby situated, I stripped down to my boxers and crawled into bed with my wife._

_Pulling her toward me, I wrapped my arm around her and could already tell how different she felt against me without the baby between us._

_"I love you, Bella," I whispered as I kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you for giving me the most precious gift in the entire world."_

**BPOV**

"Abby," I whispered as I laid her on Edward's chest. "Can you say good morning daddy?"

I had just gotten done feeding Abby and was excited to get Edward alone. Today would be the first day I would leave the house without my daughter. I was a little anxious, but knew that she'd be safe with Edward, and I really needed the girl time. I also couldn't wait to go to the concert.

We had been home from the hospital for three weeks and I was feeling great, and Abby was already sleeping in her room down the hall. I knew we were extremely blessed, but I didn't know how blessed until we had our new neighbors over last night with their six-week old son. They were only here two hours and he cried the entire time. We'd put Abby to bed after they left and she'd slept for almost five hours when I had to wake her up so I could feed her.

"Edward," I giggled as Abby snuggled up under his chin.

"G'morning, baby," he said as he held her against him and sat up. "Morning to you too, angel," he whispered as he kissed Abby on her forehead.

"I'm going to go make breakfast. What sounds good?" I asked as I slipped my robe on and approached the door.

"Whatever, beautiful. You know I'm not too picky," he answered as I grinned at the two of them and headed downstairs to start the bacon.

I had just sat the breakfast on the table when Edward came down the stairs with Abby.

"What time is Alice going to be here to pick you up?" he asked as he strapped her in her swing.

"Sometime around four, I think."

Alice, Rose and I were attending the Gavin Degraw concert that was playing in town. Even though Alice was three days overdue, she was still as bubbly as ever. When her due date came and went, she had searched all over the internet for tickets to the concert.

"You don't think Alice could have the baby tonight, do you?" I asked.

"It's possible, but if that happens, you guys just need to remain calm, head to the hospital, and call us. We'll all be here and will be able to get to the hospital quickly." He took another bite of his eggs before he continued. "She does need to realize that if she starts having contractions, real contractions, she should head for the hospital before they are too close together. Other than that, there's really nothing to worry about," he said with a smile as he picked up our plates, taking them into the kitchen.

"The dishwasher is dirty," I hollered, hoping he'd take the hint and put the dirty dishes away.

Abby began to fuss in her swing, so I wandered over and lifted her out of it.

"Mommy's going to miss you tonight, angel," I said as I patted her back and walked into the kitchen to join Edward.

"What did you want to do before everybody gets here, love?"

We ended up spending the afternoon in front of the television as we caught up on the shows we had recorded. It was a relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon, and not something we got to do too often with the family's hectic schedule. It seemed like we always had something to do over the weekend with his family or mine.

My parents had been up just last weekend to see Abby again; they'd also been celebrating the announcement of Jake and Nessie's first baby. I couldn't believe that in a few months my little brother would be a daddy. I never really thought about how fast everything could change, but the past year had given me a glimpse of how fast your life could be altered by a simple decision.

I had just stepped out of the shower when I heard a knock at the front door. Edward was in Abby's room with her, so I wrapped my robe around me and went to answer the door, where I found Jasper and Alice.

"Hey sweetie," Alice said as she hugged me and walked inside. "You almost ready?" she asked.

"Just give me about ten minutes and I'll be ready to go," I said as I glanced at the clock. She was early, and she knew it.

"Oh, okay. Take your time, Rose isn't here?"

"Not yet, Alice. You weren't supposed to be here for another forty-five minutes."

"Jasper," Edward greeted him as he walked in with Abby.

"Ooh," Alice squealed. "Can I hold her?" she asked.

"Of course, she just got done feeding a little bit ago before Bella got in the shower, so she might need to be burped again," he told her as he started to hand her the baby. Alice walked over to the couch and took a seat before taking her from him.

I left them to go get ready and I had barely shut the door before Edward snuck in our room behind me and wrapped his arms around me. His hot hands slipped between the opening of my robe and skimmed up my stomach to my breasts. I moaned as I leaned back against him.

"You like that?" he asked cockily.

"Yes," I hissed. "But, we don't have time," I sighed as I stepped away from him and opened the closet door. I reached for my favorite pre-baby jeans with high hopes. I had yet to try them on since having Abby, but was thinking I had lost enough weight to be able to fit into them again. I had only been able to wear them once when I bought them, right before my maternity jeans. I remember thinking at the time that my stomach seemed to get bigger overnight.

I held my breath as I pulled them off the rack. Sure enough, when I stepped into them I breathed a huge sigh of relief. They fit and I would be able to pair them with a black top so that I would at least look like I belonged at a rock concert.

Why Alice was insisting on attending a concert just days past her due date was beyond me. When she first found out about the concert, she was disappointed that she wouldn't be able to see Gavin Degraw because she thought she'd have a newborn. When her due date came and went, she called me up and told me she'd bought the tickets.

"Damn, why do you have to look so sexy when you know we don't have time?" Edward asked as I passed by him to finish fixing my hair.

"Not only do we not have time," I reminded him, "but we can't for another few weeks."

"Not true," he said as he appeared, propping himself up in the doorway.

I shot him a look in the mirror as I combed my fingers through my hair.

"Have you been experiencing any pain?" Edward asked and I shook my head.

"No, but it doesn't matter. I don't want to screw anything up...down there," I said as I turned around. "We'll just have to wait until Addison can check me out."

"I can check you out," he said eagerly.

"Eww, no." I took a breath as I tried to not sound all weirded out, but having Edward look at my hoo-ha for medical reasons made the times we were intimate seem like they'd be less intimate. "That would be...just… weird," I sighed as I slipped my flats on.

""What? Why? Bella," he paused, "you really think that?" he asked, hurt evident in his voice. "I mean, this is what I do for a living, baby."

"Honey," I sighed as I walked towards him. I wanted to comfort him, but he backed away. He looked at me, and just as he was about to say something, I heard Abby's wail from the living area and he left to go check on her.

When I walked into the living room where everybody was standing, I saw that Edward still seemed bothered. I hated leaving things like this, but the girls were ushering me out the door. While they were saying their good byes, I walked over to Edward. It hurt my heart to see the sadness apparent on his face because of my earlier comments.

"I love you," I whispered as I kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you, too," he replied, but that's all it seemed to be, a response.

Tonight was starting out great, I thought sarcastically.

The car ride to the concert was filled with chatter from Rose and Alice in the front seat. I could tell Alice was really excited for our special evening, but she seemed to be a little off. Just as we pulled up to the venue and saw the crowd gathered, Alice gasped.

"What?" Rose asked.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing," she sighed. "Just the baby kicking," she replied with a smile as she opened her door and let the sounds and the excitement around us filter in. All of a sudden, we were lost in the experience that is a rock concert, and we made it inside to find our seats and acquire some sustenance.

We had a little while before the opening act would start and the two of them ventured off to see all the merchandise. I pulled out a book I had been reading and got lost in the romance of the lovers in the story. They made it back, huffing at me for reading while the crowd was getting anxious for the concert to start.

"Why is it uncool to read at a concert?" I asked. "I am a mom now," I reminded them just as the lights dimmed and the opening act took the stage. They were okay, but I didn't see them going anywhere very fast. They didn't have enough of an original sound for me to want to pick up their CD on the way out.

When Gavin approached the stage, Alice started squealing. She got so excited that she was bouncing as much as her pregnant body could. He opened with _I Don't Want to Be_ and the crowd, filled with mostly females, went wild. Just as he started the second song, Alice grabbed my arm as she bent at the waist and grabbed her stomach.

"Alice?" I looked at her as she glanced up at me, wincing.

"It's time," she whispered as Rose grabbed her hand from the other side and led us through the crowd. I was surprisingly calm as we hurried out to the car. Her contractions were far enough apart that she didn't have another one until we were standing in the parking lot.

As soon as we were in the car and Rose had pulled into traffic, I called the guys. Emmett answered Edward's phone and I told him we were on the way to the hospital. He quickly handed the phone to someone and Jasper came on the line.

"Alice?" he asked. I handed the phone to her and saw her smile as she breathed through the pain. They talked for a little while as Rose sped through the lights in a hurry to get us to the hospital. Alice handed the phone back to me and Edward was on the line, asking about how far apart her contractions were. He said they had the kids loaded in the cars and were on their way now.

"Bella, I'm sorry," he said just as I was about to hang up. "I love you, so much, baby."

"I love you, too," I assured him. "I'll see you there."

I sat next to Alice, rubbing her back and reassuring her that we would be there soon.

Alice's contractions were about five minutes apart when we made it to the hospital, and Carlisle met us at the door.

"Dad!" she yelped as he helped her into a wheelchair.

"Hey, baby," he said as he kissed her on the cheek. "How's my grandchild?" he asked with an easy smile.

"Ready to come out," she laughed. Carlisle wheeled her over to the elevator. Just as the doors were about to shut, Jasper came barreling through the entrance.

"Wait!" Alice screamed at the same time Jasper yelled, "Hold the elevator!" and ran toward us, reaching us just before the doors closed.

Jasper leaned down and kissed her on the lips before he crouched down and kissed her swollen stomach. Their happy moment ended as Alice had another contraction and we entered the maternity floor. Jasper's parents and Esme were already there and they greeted the couple as Rose and I stood back by the elevator to wait for everyone else. It dinged, but it wasn't the guys with our children. Finally tiring of waiting for the guys to show up with our kids, we sat down in the waiting room. It dinged four times before they came traipsing through the doors, looking a little worse for wear. Edward was carrying one of the twins in one arm, and Abby in her carrier in the other. Emmett was pushing the twin's stroller with one arm and holding a baby in the other, while Izzy came strolling in behind them, her little finger holding onto Emmett's back pocket.

"Guys," Rose greeted them with a chuckle.

"Don't," Emmett said as he slung the diaper bag off his shoulder and hung it off the stroller.

"Mommy," Izzy said as she walked up to Rose. "Is Auntie Alice's baby here yet?"

"Not yet," Rose told her as she smoothed her hair out of her face and pulled it back into a ponytail. "It could still be a while, sweetie."

Edward sat down beside me and placed Abby on the floor between us. She was sleeping soundly in her seat, all wrapped up in blankets.

"Hey, beautiful," he said as he kissed me on the lips. "I'm going to go find out how long it will be," he told me as he kissed me one last time, leaning down to kiss our daughter's forehead before he headed off to the delivery room.

Addison wandered out, looking fabulously tan. "Hey," I said as she sat down next to me and looked adoringly at my daughter.

"Hey yourself, mommy," she teased as I asked her about her trip to California.

"Oh, it was great. I can't wait to be out there permanently," she smiled. "It's going to be so different, but I'm definitely looking forward to the normal office hours."

"Yeah, I bet that's going to be nice," I said with a hint of jealousy. Edward had just returned to work this past week and I hated the way his schedule worked out so that he would sometimes need to sleep while I was wide awake with our daughter.

We talked a little more about the replacement they had hired for her and how well she was doing with the patients. Alice sure loved her, enough to not even care if Addison was in the delivery room with them. She was young, just fresh off of her residency, and absolutely adorable. We discussed various other things as we waited for a member of our family to emerge with the details of our newest addition.

While we were waiting, I started questioning her about how long Edward and I would have to wait before we could have sex. She asked me the same questions Edward had, making me feel even worse. She caught the look on my face and questioned me about it.

"Edward suggested that he could check for me, but that just kind of weirded me out. I know that probably sounds silly," I sighed.

"Not at all," she said as she patted my arm. "We could do it right now, if you'd like," she offered.

"Really?" I asked and she nodded. "Let me just see if Rose can watch Abby for me," I said as I ran over to Rose to see if she could. She eyed me knowingly as I turned to follow Addison off to an exam room.

Once I was done with Addison, I didn't have to wait much longer before Edward came out of the room with a smiling daddy and grandpa.

"It's a boy," Jasper said as he beamed with pride. I still couldn't believe Alice had been able to keep the gender a secret the entire time she was pregnant. This would definitely give her bragging rights for a while.

"Gavin Lee Hale," he said as he turned around to go back to his wife and son. Edward and Carlisle told us the other details as Esme peppered them with questions.

Esme and Carlisle went to see them as soon as Alice had been placed in her private room, and Jasper's parents were next. Edward was smiling as he watched the members of our family go in and out of Alice's room to greet the mommy and new baby.

"I can't believe she named him Gavin," he chuckled as he pulled me against him.

"Why?"

"It's just, do you think she would have done that if she wasn't at the concert?" he asked.

I shrugged.

"Alright," Jasper's mom said as they came out of the room. "The couple is asking for you and Bella, Edward," she hugged us as we walked past her after passing Abby off to her grandparents.

We walked into the room and I saw Alice holding Gavin. She looked as fresh as if she'd just stepped out of the powder room. I shook my head. Only Alice.

"Hey, guys," she greeted as we approached the bed and she offered to let us hold him. Edward declined until Alice gave him the eye. He held his nephew as Jasper snapped a picture of the three of us.

We chatted for a bit before Alice started talking about being ready to try for a second one. She had loved being pregnant, and apparently her delivery hadn't been too bad if she was ready to get right back on the horse.

"Aren't you guys ready for another one already?" she asked, never taking her eyes off of Gavin.

"Well," I stammered. "It's a little too soon-"

"I don't think we're going to not try," Edward interrupted as he wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my shoulder. "We're just going to let nature take its course with this one," he smiled.

Emmett stuck his head in the door, eager to see his baby sister and nephew, so we stepped aside and let him and Rose in. Edward spoke with his dad for a few minutes while I chatted with Esme until Emmett and Rosalie emerged.

"I think they're going to try to get some sleep, and we're going to head home. I'm sure one of us will be up here in the morning," she said as she hugged everybody.

"I think we're going to head out, too," I said as Edward glanced at me. We were usually the last ones to leave family functions, but I was eager to get home. It had been a long evening with the concert, and then the baby coming. Plus, I was sure Edward would be all too willing to know that I had received a good report from Addison.

We said goodbye to his parents before we got on the elevator with Emmett and Rose. Apparently Jasper had driven our car here and parked in Edward's spot while Edward had ridden with Emmett and all the kids. I laughed as I imagined the guys trying to get all the kids ready to go and Jasper pacing back and forth while the guys figured out that the car seat really was as simple as the center pull latch in the front.

We said our goodbyes as they walked past us toward the visitor and patient parking. Edward had Abby strapped into the car just as I was getting in. He picked up my hand as soon as he had started the car and I looked over at him, smiling.

"Crazy night, huh?" he said as we walked into the house.

"Yeah," I sighed as I toed off my shoes and bent down to pick up Abby.

"Hey, baby girl," I cooed. "You hungry?"

She squirmed a little as I settled her in my arms and walked to her room. I took a seat in the rocking chair, rocking her gently as we started our nightly ritual.

I heard Edward walk past her room and saw the light flicker on out of the corner of my eye. After she was done, I got her changed into her pajamas and then settled her in for the night. If she could sleep for another four or five hours like she had the last few nights, I'd be one happy mommy.

Edward was turning the sheets down when I walked in. He only had on a pair of boxer's and I ogled him a bit before I made my presence known.

"Hey," I said as I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around him.

I kissed him between his shoulder blades as he laced his fingers with mine. I loosened my hand from one of his and trailed a single finger down over his abs and stopped as I reached the trail of hair at his shorts.

"Bella," he shuddered against me. "Please don't tease me," he said as he turned around to face me.

I was shaking my head and smiling as he looked at me.

"What?" he asked with a grin.

"I talked to Addison," I said as I stuck the tips of my fingers under the waistband of his shorts.

"And," he prompted.

"She also looked me over really quick while you were with Alice," I said with a shrug.

"Oh, really?" he chuckled as he leaned to kiss me on the lips. His hands fumbled with the buttons of my shirt that were only partially done, since I had fed Abby. I made quick work of my jeans as he pushed my shirt from my body and slipped out of his shorts.

"We just have to be careful," I said as we climbed into bed.

"I know, baby," he said as he rolled so I was underneath him.

His fingers ghosted across my chest as my body came to life under his touch. Slowly, he tickled his way across my heated flesh and his hand found its way to the lips of my aching sex. He pushed his thumb against my nub as he gently stuck his finger inside me. It felt so good to have him touching me like this again. I couldn't get enough of him as he began to slowly work his fingers in and out of my body. He brought me to the edge of a climax as he pulled himself up and slowly entered my body. I cried out as I lost it. My orgasm crashed over me as soon as he started moving inside of me.

"Oh, god," he moaned against my neck. "You feel… fuck. I can feel you, baby."

He rocked his body against mine as he kissed along my neck and chest.

It felt so good to have him inside of me. Not the discomfort I think I had been expecting. I could tell Edward was getting close, so I tucked my hand between us.

"God, I love you," he breathed as he kissed me and released into me. After a few moments, he continued kissing me as he pulled out and rolled us to our sides.

We laid there for a little while, my head resting on his chest, his hand brushing the length of my back as we relished the fact that we could be together. The sound of his heart was lulling me to sleep and I must have dozed off, because when I woke up a little later, Edward was walking the length of the hallway with a crying baby.

I sat up a little bit as I motioned for him to bring her to me. He laid her in my arms and she found what she was looking for.

"She's just hungry," I said as she snuggled closer to me. He climbed back into bed and laid next to me while I continued to feed our daughter.

"Bella," he said quietly.

"Yeah."

"Earlier, when Alice asked about us trying for another one…," he started. "I'd really like to start right away. I don't want you to go back on birth control, and I really don't want to wear-"

"That's what I want, too," I interrupted him.

"It is?" he asked as he scooted closer to me.

"Of course," I said as I reached out and caressed his face. "I can't wait to have your baby, Edward."

"I love you," he said as he leaned over and kissed me. "And I love you, too, baby girl," he whispered to Abby. She had fallen asleep as soon as she was done and I handed her over to him so he could burp her while I put on a robe to take her across the hall back to her room.

_**June 20th**_ - several weeks later  
**EPOV**

"Happy Birthday!" my sister squealed as she hugged me.

"Alice," I chuckled as she took Gavin from Jasper and headed over to where the rest of the Cullen women were gathered. It was my thirtieth birthday, and Bella had decided we needed to have a big gathering with family and friends to celebrate. Things had changed so much since my last birthday that I didn't even know where to start when I thought of all the things to be thankful for this past year.

I'd met, married, and had a child with the love of my life. Our little girl was getting bigger every day, and I dreaded the day she realized how much she had me wrapped around her finger. I spent my nights rocking and singing her to sleep whenever I could, and I lived to cherish each and every moment I had with her.

That thought alone was enough to keep me from dreading another birthday. If every year could bring me the best things in life, well, I'd gladly turn another year older. With all of us having kids, it slowed down our nights out and we all spent a lot more time at home, with each other, where we belonged.

I smiled as I saw Bella glancing at me while she talked to my sister. It looked like they were getting ready to bring the cake out. We had decided to host the party at our house, and it had been a huge success. I loved being able to entertain in our new home with the people we loved the most around us. I was eager to show off all the cool things Bella had let me get for the garage and knew my grill would drive Emmett crazy. Sure enough, he was over there manning the monster by himself while he and Jasper stood around, gossiping like old women and drinking their beer.

I looked back toward where Bella had been standing and saw her coming toward me.

"Hey, beautiful," I greeted her with a kiss as she grabbed my hand and led me over to the cake and present table we'd set up in the backyard.

Everybody joined in for the birthday song and I made a wish as I blew out the candles, not knowing if my wish had come true yet or if I'd have to wait a while longer. Alice started cutting the cake as Bella fiddled with her jacket. Why she needed a jacket in the middle of summer was beyond me, but when she insisted she was cold, who was I to argue?

"Edward," she whined as she tried to get the zipper unstuck.

"Do you need help, baby?" I asked as I stepped in front of her and was able to unzip the jacket easily. She pulled the jacket open and I saw that she was wearing a pink shirt. Bella never wears pink, but that's not what had gotten my attention. In plain black lettering across her chest, "I'm carrying Edward Cullen's baby" was written.

"Really?" I choked out as I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close to me.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Really."

When I had acknowledged my hopes and dreams for the past year, I never would have imagined getting them all. With the one thing I wished for already coming true, I couldn't imagine what the rest of my birthdays would have in store for me. Whatever else happened in my life, I knew that I had already been blessed beyond measure.

* * *

This is the end of the story, but it isn't...Epi(s) still to come, I just don't know when. **I need to know what you'd like to see in an epi**. I already have one I'm working on...so I'll keep working on that.

I have so many people to thank. My beta(s) because I had a couple of them throughout this entire process. My original, my friend, Tara...this story never would have made it so far in the beginning without your helpful input. Stav for offering to beta for me after finding me in the midst of a WC and Jessica for stepping in and offering to beta for me when I needed someone. To my plastics, you girls were there when I had an idea I needed to run by someone, so thank you so much for everything, but especially your friendship! My prereaders, when I had a chapter I wanted to make sure was going to come off right, you were there with your opinions and I love you for it! Especially, ESPECIALLY all the readers that have read, the reviewers that have told me whether they loved it or hated it and to everybody that told someone to read my little story, thank you! I couldn't have done this without you!

There are **outfits now for 3, 2, 1** - made by the lovely and talented AmberDK - she came in at the last minute with an offer I couldn't refuse! Seriously, thank you for all the time you put into the outfits! Really, it's a chapter banner because of all the detail she puts into these :)

_**The 'Til Death Do Us Part Contest**_, hosted by the **TwiGirls**(aka me, twisherry and aciepey) will be accepting entries from 4/15 - 6/5. This is a wedding O/S and all entries are thrown into a pool to win a banner!

_**The Fandom Gives Back** __is gearing up for the Eclipse Edition. Be sure to check out their site to sign up to contribute or find out how you can help spread the word._

As always, links are on my profile or on my blog!

Rec(s) - **Relative Wind** by _Mac214_ *gasp* seriously, you must read this DILFward fic! **Speaking of DILFward...Got any rec(s) for me?**_ I need a good DILFward like I need air!_

Thanks again for reading my story I never would have imagined I would be able to finish a complete fic, but you guys gave me the strength and want to do it!_  
_


	26. Epilogue

Disclaimer(s): All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. TY lovely Twilight ladies for the great sample, this disclaimer is also not mine. While the author desires to keep the story as REAL as possible, Creative License may be taken.

**Epic A/N at the end with thanks and everything.

* * *

**

"Miles," I groaned as I listened to the sound of the toilet flush, followed by the creak of the door. I heard the echo of his footsteps on the hardwood floor as he approached the kitchen.

"Miles," I said a little louder this time, hoping he would hear me.

"What?" he asked as he peeked up at me from under the hair that was now falling into his eyes. I made a mental note that he needed to go with Edward next week when he went to get his hair cut.

"Did you put the toilet seat down?" I asked, knowing the answer already. This was the final step in the potty training process and he hadn't seemed to master it quite yet.

"Awe, Mom!" he huffed.

"Don't Mom me, mister. Do you want me to get your father?" I asked, as I raised an eyebrow at him.

"No need," Edward whispered as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. "Are you really giving our son the brow, don't you think he's a little young for you to be starting with that, huh?" he joked, kissing my cheek before he looked at Miles and addressed him in a teasing, yet, authoritative tone. "Miles, you need to listen to your mother."

"Yes, sir," Miles replied, as he sulked off to the bathroom and I heard the wonderful sound of the toilet seat slamming shut. Oh, the joys of raising a four, almost five year old little boy.

"Is there anything else I can do to help?" Edward asked as he replaced the liner in the trash can.

I bit back the response on the tip of my tongue that had to do with always needing his help, just not necessarily in the way he was referring to and told him that his time would be better suited if he went outside and got things ready for the party out there.

Edward had been offered a position as a partner in a new practice that Addison was opening in Florida and he would be starting in just a few weeks. This would be our last hurrah before the house would go on the market come Monday and then we would be making our way to Florida to start this new phase of our lives.

Our youngest, Miles, was celebrating his fifth birthday today and although I loved that he was growing up and could do a lot of things on his own, I missed having a baby in the house. That was probably the hardest thing I've had to come to terms with in the past five years.

On Edward's thirtieth birthday, I had told him and our family that we were expecting another baby. It had been sudden and unplanned, though not unwanted as Edward and I had discussed after Abby was born that we would let nature take its course and not use any birth control. It was so soon after having Abby, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Many of our friends and family thought we were crazy for having two children within a year of each other, but it wasn't something I ever gave a second thought about. As painful as it was to go through morning sickness, labor and everything else that goes with being pregnant, I was looking forward to carrying Edward's child more than anything.

The first several weeks of the pregnancy were just as they had been with Abby, morning sickness on most days, I was tired all the time, the only difference being that Edward was there every step of the way, from the very beginning. It wasn't until a few weeks later that I started having severe abdominal pain. I thought nothing of it so I didn't tell Edward because he would freak out just like everything else. It was hard living with a doctor who over diagnosed every little thing. This went on for a couple of days, and then, a few nights later I was woken up in the middle of the night to Edward in a panic because I had blood all over the back of my night gown. Poor Edward, I can't even imagine what was going through his head when he saw that. After rushing me to the hospital, we were told I had miscarried and should wait a while before trying to conceive again.

It hit us hard. Not only had we lost a child, but Edward and I had to come to grips that this could be the first of many miscarriages, if we chose to try again. In Edward's line of work, he knew so many statistics but that didn't make the pain any easier.

Edward and I decided that as much as we wanted another child we would take some time to figure it out. He left the decision mostly up to me about when or if we would start trying again. He insisted that he wear condoms until we had come to a conclusion and when I questioned him on this, he gave me a laundry list of side effects the pill could have and told me he didn't want me to take it until we had made up our minds.

It took some time to decide if I even wanted to try again. I was terrified that I would conceive and then miscarry, but the desire to carry Edward's child was stronger than the fear of going through such a horrible ordeal again.

A few months later, we found ourselves on a couples getaway in California. Addison had invited us to a charity event that she was involved in and Edward didn't want to turn down the opportunity. So, we packed our bags and Abby went to stay with Edward's parents.

After a day of shopping with Addison, I enjoyed the evening dancing with my husband. He couldn't seem to keep his damn hands off of me and I was loving it. While Edward and I had continued to have sex on a regular basis after the miscarriage, it just hadn't been that same. I felt as though I wasn't a whole woman; not being able to bear his child had taken it's toll on my self image.

After leaving the party downstairs, we managed to make it up to our room with most of our clothes still on our bodies. Edward hurried to open the room as he kept me pressed against the door and we almost fell when he pushed it open. While I had been overjoyed and extremely excited, I didn't want this to be a rushed release, I wanted to slow it down.

_Panting, I pushed him away from me so I could catch my breath. But he wouldn't release me as he continued to suck and kiss down along my jaw._

"_Edward, stop," I whispered. "Can we just, slow down a little bit? We have all night, honey."_

"_I'm sorry, I just cant," _kiss "_get enough of you," he whispered against my lips. _

"_I know," I laughed. "Trust me, I I want it slow though...tonight, I want it slow."_

_I was sure he had heard me as he released me, walking over to the alarm clock where his iPod was hooked up and selected a song. _

_Michael Buble's rendition of 'Crazy Love' floated through the air._

"_Dance with me?" he asked as he took my hand and pulled me against him._

_We danced along to the rhythm of the music and every once in a while Edward would sing a bar or two. I loved the sound of his voice and the feel of his breath on my ear as he held me close to him. We hadn't danced like this in a long time. Right after Abby was born, Edward had taken to dancing her around the room to quiet her down at night. After many nights of seeing him do this he turned to me after he put her back in her crib and asked me if I wanted to dance, just like he had tonight. _

_As the song ended, Edward picked me up bridal style and carried me over to the bed. His skilled fingers unzipped my dress as I worked to remove his clothes._

"_You're so beautiful," he whispered as he kissed the top of my breast above my heart._

_His mouth covered my skin in kisses. With light touches he caressed my body as I lay there basking in the way he worshiped my body. His touch drove me wild, but we were content to take our time tonight. _

_As he reached for the condom that was laying on the night stand I knew it was time._

"_No," I whispered as I kissed him and when I looked at him, I saw the tears in his eyes as he realized what this meant._

"_Are you sure?" he asked as he held the hope of what I was saying just off the surface._

"_Positive," I said with what little voice I could muster. Afraid that if I spoke too loudly the dam would burst and my tears would ruin the moment. I heard the soft thud of the condom hitting the top of the night stand and felt his hand as it came back to cradle my head against the pillow. We made love into the night and I woke to his lips at the back of my neck as he woke me for another round just as the dawn was breaking._

We didn't talk about it much after we had gotten back. Only telling our parents that we were no longer being careful in hopes that we wouldn't jinx it. Sure enough a month later I missed my period and after we received the results. I was pregnant with mine and Edward's baby.

After I made it past the magic twelve week mark, we told our family and friends. Edward knew that if I made it this far I should be able to carry to full term. But knowing the complications I had already had with Abby's delivery and then the difficulties I'd experienced with the miscarriage, Edward was very overprotective. While no bed rest had been required from the doctor, Edward and I had decided that I would work from home until after the baby was born.

It seemed that luck was on our side and on June first, I delivered a healthy seven and a half pound baby boy. We named him Miles Howard after Edward's Great Uncle that had served and died as a young soldier in the Second World War.

Although I had only suffered one miscarriage and there had been no complications during Miles' delivery, we agreed that two children were enough for us and Edward decided that he would get a vasectomy. When Edward and I were first dating and I was already pregnant, we had discussed how many children we both wanted. My magic number was two, because it was more than one and less than three. He had laughed and said he wasn't worried about how many kids we had as long as they were all happy and healthy.

So here we are, celebrating Miles' fifth birthday and it seemed like just yesterday that he was born.

"Bella," Edward hollered at me from outside where he was starting the grill. "Can you call Em and see if he can bring some Charcoal? We are low and I am not sure there is enough to get us through the party."

"Sure, babe."

Picking up the phone I dialed Rose's number and was greeted by the happy voice of my niece Izzy.

"Hello?" her sweet voice floated through the telephone.

"Hey sweetheart, it's Aunt Bella, can you put your mom or dad on the phone, please?" I asked as I pulled out the cupcakes and began to frost them.

"Sorry Aunt Bella, they're in their room with the door locked and there is no way I'm going in there." Poor girl, living in a house with Emmett and Rosalie was bad enough, but to have them be your parents I knew that girl must be scarred for life.

"I don't blame you Iz, can you just have your dad call me when they surface?"

She agreed and I disconnected the phone just as my darling daughter walked into the kitchen.

Abby was already dressed in her party clothes, a cute little jean skort with a baseball tee and chucks on her feet. Everyday she looked a little more like me and acted a little more like her father.

A few months after she was born Edward and I put together a video about how she came into this world and then sealed it to be given to her when or if there ever came a time for her to know the truth. While she was in every way a Cullen, Edward and I worried that there could come a time where the subject might come up and we wanted to make sure she knew we had been thinking about a good way to tell her from the very beginning and not trying to hide anything. Though Edward had forgiven his parents for not telling him that Carlisle was not his biological father, it still hurt him deeply. Abby was still young, but we never knew what the future held and we never wanted her to feel the hurt that Edward had when he finally found out the truth. There may come a time when she needed something from a biological parent that I wasn't able to give her and we would want to give her all the information we had, though limited.

"Hey kiddo, did you want to help me frost the cupcakes?"

"Sure!" She said excitedly as she stepped up beside me and I handed her the cupcake toppers. Miles was obsessed with baseball. When he was just shy of his third birthday Edward had taken him out with Gavin and Jasper whenever Gavin's little league team would practice. He had found his calling and for the past two years baseball was all he could talk about. He was so excited for this upcoming season because it would be his first season playing without a tee.

We continued to prep for the party as the morning turned into afternoon and things were coming together smoothly. The guys were in charge of setting up the family baseball game that would take place this afternoon. While the ladies were in charge of helping me out inside with feeding the troops.

I glanced outside to see what Edward was doing. What I saw warmed my heart and brought the cheesiest grin to my face. Edward and Miles were standing in the homemade baseball field. Each of them were on the opposite side looking down at the plate in front of them. I assumed they were trying to decide if they were set up to regulation standard. Knowing my men, it had to be just perfect.

The doorbell chimed, drawing my attention away from my two favorite men out back and I hurried over to answer it. Opening the door, I was immediately pulled into the arms of Mike. He and his partner Liam had called early this morning to let me know they would definitely be here and would be bringing along Liam's daughter, Maggie. Liam had been married and had a child before he filed for divorce and came out of the closet. All of this happened right around the time Mike moved back to New York permanently a couple years ago. They met, had a whirlwind romance and had been happy together ever since. Liam was allowed partial custody of his daughter and his ex, Celeste, pretty much let him take Maggie whenever he wanted as long as there was some advance notice.

"Hey you big flirt," I said as I squeezed myself against Mike.

"Hey back, sugar," he responded as he kissed me on the cheek and released me.

Edward had come in through the back door, greeting them and was starting up a conversation with Liam when I mentioned that I needed to head upstairs to get ready.

"Of course you do, you can't be wearing something like that when your guests arrive," Mike teased when he pointed at my sweats and the thin, worn tank top I had thrown on this morning.

"Hey, these are Juicy Couture I'll have you know," I huffed as I did my best imitation of a snooty fashionista.

"Go! Go upstairs and get ready. Liam and I can watch the kids and answer the door if anybody arrives before you two are done," he grinned as he looked between Edward and I.

"Thank you," I replied as I headed for the stairs. "Oh, and if anybody comes, it'll probably just be our family," I added.

I tried to think of anything else he might need to know but Edward quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me up the stairs.

As soon as I stepped into the room, my shoes were kicked off and my shirt hit the floor of our bedroom. I grabbed the door to the bathroom, but just before closing it, Edward waltzed in, sans clothing.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked as he stepped into the shower and started the water.

"Sorry, baby. I'm dirty and I need to get cleaned up before the party too," he said with a smile.

"Edward," I whined. "You know it will take me twice as long to do my hair if you go first."

"That's why you should join me, you know, to conserve water and all. We do want the earth to be here for our children and grandchildren, don't we?."

God he could be so frustrating. Did he not realize all of our family, friends and coworkers would be joining us for our last get together before our move and were probably all gathering down stairs as we spoke? I shook my head as I stripped out of my jeans and joined him in the shower, knowing that by doing so I was only enticing him further. Keeping my back to him I went to grab my shampoo, but not before I felt his strong arms wrap around me. Placing a kiss on my shoulder he turned us so that I was directly under the water and grabbed my shampoo for me.

"I can do that for you," he whispered as he squeezed some into the palm of his hand and massaged it into my hair. His skilled fingers working to get every section on my head.

"Oh, that feels so good," I whispered.

He kissed my cheek and turned me around to face him. I tipped my head back to keep the suds from falling into my eyes as he rinsed my hair. I could feel the water as it ran down my back and washed down the drain. I had to bite back a moan as his arm brushed over my pebbled nipples. Edward bent down to kiss me as his hands moved from my hair to my hips and he pulled me to his chest. Even though I could feel him hard against my stomach I resisted my sexy husband and continued with our shower.

"Your turn," I whispered against his lips. With one more peck, he turned and tilted his head back so I could massage the shampoo into his hair. Scratching my fingers against his scalp, I heard him hiss just before he whipped around and crushed his lips to mine.

"I need you," he begged as he wrapped himself around me.

"We can't," I whimpered as his lips trailed down my neck and across the top of my breast.

"Yes, we ca-oh, shit," he cried as he stuck his head under the water washing the shampoo out of his eyes. I held my breath to keep from laughing out loud while I watched him rinse all of the remaining suds out of his hair.

"That's what you get for trying to seduce me with soap in your hair," I gasped, not being able to hold the laughter in any longer. His eyes flew to mine and I got a glimpse of the primal hunter that I had married all those years ago for a split second just before he lunged for me. I was too fast for him though, as I whipped around the shower wall stepping out and grabbed my towel off the hook. It was wrapped around my body just as Edward stepped out from the shower as I began backing out of the bathroom. Knowing the effect his nakedness had on me he simply stood there.

"You're not coming after me?" I asked. Usually when he was this determined he wouldn't think twice about chasing me around our bathroom or bedroom butt naked. It would usually end with a round of playful, silly love making and despite the fact that we were needed downstairs, I wanted it to happen , more than I truly cared to admit. We may be getting older with children still in the house, but our physical intimacy certainly hadn't changed in the past several years.

"Nope," he said with a grin as he stretched. "I think I'll just air dry while you finish getting ready."

"Oh, okay. I'll just go see if Mike can grab some panties out of the laundry room and bring them up to me. I'll make sure to remind him that I'm still in the bathroom," I giggled as I walked further into our bedroom.

"You wouldn't dare," Edward growled as he grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his hips. I stood there for another minute just to oogle my husband before I applied a light smattering of makeup on my face and fixed my hair. Throwing on a pair of blue jeans and my blue Cullen baseball tee, I grabbed my tennis shoes from the closet and headed downstairs with a now fully dressed Edward just as the doorbell rang announcing the arrival of more guests.

The party was running smoothly as guest after guest arrived. All of Edward's colleagues were expected as well as some of the people I had worked with at the magazine. All our family showed up within the first few minutes and all the guys were huddled around the barbecue as they grilled the meat for dinner. My mother and Esme were outside with the kids while I and the remaining ladies stood around the kitchen gossiping and preparing the other food.

I was standing at the sink looking out through the window when I saw Edward glance my way, as soon as he saw me he winked before diverting his attention back to the guys. I loved that one glance from him could affect me in ways I still couldn't describe. Sometimes it felt like we were back in the early stages of our relationship and I'm crushing on him like a school girl again.

Hurrying around the kitchen, I moved from one task to another as I tried to get finished with everything before the guys were done with the meat.

"Babe," Edward hollered through the open screen door. "We're all ready, where do you want us to set up?"

I grabbed the plates, and a few other items that I could carry and motioned for the rest of the women to grab something and follow me outside to where we had set up a few picnic tables.

"Right over there on the table with the red table cloth, sweetie," I said as I kissed him on the cheek.

After everyone was done with the food, I was doing a quick clean up before we started presents when I noticed a bright blue sports car pull up. The sun was glaring off of the car and I squinted as I tried to see who it was. Within seconds, I knew.

I watched as she unfolded her long, sleek frame from the car and surveyed the house. Memories from the conference we had recently attended flashed through my mind.

Miles and I had been on our way to a conference that the hospital was putting on. We were meeting Edward there and I had just dropped Abby off at Rose and Emmett's. Miles would be accompanying us at the conference for a little while, until Alice and Jasper picked him up on their way out to the lake to do "boy stuff" with Gavin.

_"Miles," I groaned at my son in the back seat._

_"Mom, are we almost there?" he asked for the hundredth time as he continued to smack his gum._

_"Yes, we're almost there."_

_"Will dad be there?"_

_"Miles, why do you keep asking me the same questions over and over again?"_

_"I don't know," he said with a shrug as he went back to playing his PSP._

_"Hello?" I answered as my phone rang._

_"Hey, baby," Edward said with a slight slurring of his words. "Are you almost here?" he asked as I turned on the blinker to turn into the convention center parking lot and drove towards the valet._

_"Yes, I'm pulling in now."_

_I saw my husband step out from behind a pillar in front of the building just as the valet came around to help me out of the car and took the keys from me. I unbuckled Miles and pulled him from the car. Grabbing his hand we headed over to where Edward was standing. I saw Edward stumble a bit before he righted himself then smoothed out his sports coat and gave me a sloppy kiss on the lips. I could taste the alcohol on his breath and smell it as it permeated the air around us. I took a step back to catch my breath._

_"Edward!" I hissed. "Are you drunk?" I asked as he shook his head and held up his hands defensively._

_"Why would you think that?" he asked as I turned around and headed inside. _

_I saw a table set up for the Medical Conference, where I could see Maria, the pediatric ICU charge nurse, clearly flirting with several doctors._

_"What is she doing here?" I asked as he led us over to a corner of the reception area in the conference center._

_"She was on the committee that helped put this whole conference together," he sighed as he ran his hands through his hair and over his face._

_"Did something, happen?" I asked as I looked between the two of them. The longer it took for Edward to answer me, the more concerned I became. Ever since she had started working at the hospital around the time Abby was born, I always got a weird vibe from her. Edward would only mention that he thought he knew her from school. Nothing more._

_"I really don't want to talk about this right now," he groaned._

_"Can it wait, then?" I asked._

_He shook his head. "Not really. I'd rather tell you then have you find out, in there," he said as he gestured toward the main conference hall where they were setting up for the evening's seminar and meal._

_"Well, go ahead then," I urged as I took a seat beside him and pulled Miles into my lap._

_"I think," he started before he took a breath and glanced over at Maria. "I think she's the girl I slept with that night in college," he finally finished in a quiet whisper._

_Not long after Edward and I were married, Edward admitted that along with the girlfriend that he had followed to Florida his first year of college, that like me he'd also had a drunken one-night stand. The difference being that he could not even remember what the girl looked like that he had been with._

_"Maria?" I asked. Sure, I had my suspicions, but why hadn't she ever said anything. Edward certainly couldn't remember anything about that night._

_"She has pictures of us from college, and I'm clearly intoxicated," he told me just before we signed in for the conference. That must have been one hell of an event. Well, that sure explained Edwards sudden need to drink himself silly before I even got here today. _

Sure enough, I had seen the pictures with my own two eyes and then after asking her directly she confessed to seducing my husband while he was severely drunk and couldn't defend himself against her advances. I didn't blame him, it was long before we even knew each other and we both certainly brought skeleton's with us when we got married.

Even though time had passed, I still had some ill feelings for the woman walking toward us. She obviously had some kind of feelings for Edward. Heck, she kept the pictures for over ten years. I trusted my husband completely, it was her I didn't trust.

"Edward," I hissed. "What is _SHE_ doing here?" I asked as the leggy brunette walked toward the gift table and set down the rather large box with the huge red bow on it.

"I had to i-", he started to say before I cut him off.

"No, you didn't. What would you think if I invited someone from my past that I had been intimate with?" I asked. I didn't care that I only had one and he was dead, he wasn't going to get out of inviting her that easily.

"You know it would look funny if I invited everyone else and I didn't invite her," he reasoned. He could be right, I reasoned with myself. Other friends of his from the medical community were in attendance, but she was different.

"No, it would look like your wife didn't approve of the bitch you slept with when you were in college that for some reason kept the pictures for over 10 years as proof and then mysteriously showed up working at the same hospital as you. It's not my fault she can't-"

Edward kissed me and I felt his lips smile against mine.

"I love it when you're jealous, but please behave," he whispered just as we were interrupted by a throat being cleared behind us.

"Edward," she greeted him with a kiss on the cheek before she turned to me, flashing me her perfect teeth. "Bella, it's so good to see you," she said in her sickly sweet voice. I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes as I relaxed a little into Edward as he tucked me into his side.

"Maria, thanks for coming," I smiled at her and after kissing Edward on the cheek, walked over to where the kids were playing with the baseball equipment. I would leave them alone to talk, but that didn't mean I wasn't watching her every move. At least Miles would be getting another gift out of this, right?

Miles was showing Maggie how to hold the bat and I saw Esme close by snapping pictures of him and all of his friends. It seemed as though my little boy had a crush.

"Isn't that just the cutest thing?" Mike whispered in my ear.

I nodded.

"You know, when I was his age I was playing with the little girl next door. Although, we were both the flag girls for the bicycle races the boys in the neighborhood would have. My, how time's have changed," he giggled as he kissed my cheek and walked over to where Liam was.

I clapped my hands to get every one's attention, keeping a close eye on the seductress that was following my husband around as he riled up the kids.

"Miles," I hollered. "Come here honey, you can open your gifts then we'll start the baseball game," I said as he ran over to me and sat down at the table we'd put the gifts on.

Looking around, I saw the faces of our family and closest friends. They had been around for all of the important events in our life and it dawned on me that I couldn't be happier. Watching the joy on my son's face as he opened each gift and hugged the people that loved and adored him, as well as my little girl, made the smile on my face a permanent decoration.

Miles was having difficulty with one of the gifts, and I saw Abby try to help him with all the tape. When they couldn't get it off, Edward glanced around nervously before he went over to see if he could offer his assistance. After a few tries from all three of them, I started to wonder why it was so hard to open.

"Who wrapped this thing?" Edward grunted as he tried to find an opening in the wrapping paper. I heard a loud guffaw as Emmett swooped in and grabbed the gift.

"I did, you big dorks. I was hoping to make it harder for the pipsqueak to open, but not so hard that you couldn't even get it open, bro," he chuckled. With a few swipes of his hand, he had the gift partially unwrapped and handed it back to Miles as he stepped back into place and patted Edward on the shoulder. I loved watching Edward interact with his siblings, you could tell they had been brought up in a house full of love. The way Edward was with his siblings seemed to be a family trait. I could see it every time our children interacted. Miles and Abby were so close, not only with each other, but also with their cousins.

"Cool," I heard my son whisper as he took in the sight of the latest game he had asked for.

After the gifts were unwrapped, we played a game of baseball with our family and friends. The guys divided up the teams, Emmett and Rose's gang would play with Mike, Esme, Carlisle and a few of Edward's colleagues. Our team consisted of our family, Liam, Jasper, Alice, Maggie and Gavin as well as a few of our friends. We played a couple of innings before the sun began to set and people started to say their goodbyes. I hugged everybody and promised to see them all soon, before long we were left with just the Cullen's standing around the front entry.

"I sure am going to miss you guys," Ali whispered as she hugged me close to her small frame.

"Me too," I responded as a tear rolled down my cheek. I had grown so close to Edward's family, that I knew it would be hard to be away from them.

I turned around and faced the living room where so many memories were made. A lot of those memories were captured in photographs that were spread throughout this house and ingrained in the memories of our family. There wasn't a moment in the past several years that I could remember where Esme didn't have a camera. She had become a wonderful photographer and I was glad she was always willing to capture the moments of our lives on film for all of us.

I noticed Carlisle handed a book to Esme just before they both turned and walked over to where Edward and I were standing.

"Here you go, sweetheart," Esme whispered as she hugged me and handed me the book that I could now see was a photo album.

"What's this? It's not my, birthday," I hesitated, a little confused as I flipped open the book.

"It's just a little something I've been working on since we found out you guys would be moving away. It's a scrapbook chronicling one of the happiest years of my life. I made one for every family to have. Go on, take a look."

The first page was a picture of Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Alice and Emmett along with Rosalie and Izzy.

"This was taken right before Alice met Jasper and it's one of the only family pictures I have before we completed our family," she said with a smile.

"Oh my," I gasped as I looked at some of the less risque images that had been taken when Alice, Rosalie and I had been photographed with our three pregnant bellies. I certainly wasn't expecting to see that so early on in the book.

I flipped through page after page that told the story of my first year with Edward. There were the two weddings, Alice and Jasper's and Edward's and mine. There was a shot of Alice and I both in our dresses at the boutique that was proudly displayed with a little blurb about the bond we had formed.

Several pictures of our baby showers and one of each of the families with their baby or in Emmett and Rosalie's case, babies.

On the last page of the album there was another family picture, although this one was more recent. It had been taken this past Christmas . The title under the picture fit it perfectly, it read _One Big Happy Family._

As we said goodbye to our family and friends to embark on this new adventure together, Edward and I didn't know what the future held, but we knew that we could handle it, as long as we were together.

* * *

I am really sad to see this story end, I loved these characters...but I feel their story has been , if you aren't done with them and have a prompt idea I am going to be posting _3, 2, 1 Drabbles_ where readers have submitted prompts for me that I can use to write with whenever I get the time. **Link for the form is on my blog.**

**A/N** - A Million thanks is not enough to the readers, reviewers and pimpers that have been around for this story. When I started writing _3, 2, 1_ I never knew that I could finish a full chapter fic! Special thanks to the beta's I have had, Tara, Stav, Jessica and Kris. My Prereaders, Gremlin Girls and my bestie Kassiah...I don't think it would have turned out as well as it did without every single one of you!

**NEWS**, _NEWS_, **NEWS**, _NEWS_...(Link for everything is on my profile)

**TwiGirls Next Door- **  
- The TwiGirls are looking for more Girls to join their family! Check out what's going on over there.  
- We're also hosting another contest! _Do you love a hardworking, sweaty, dirty Edward? We Do! Check out the Anonymous Blue-Collarward Contest. Visit the fanfiction profile for more details._

**#ReadAlong's Coming Up - **  
- Lady of the Knight by ObsessingOverEdward Friday, August 13th at 8/7 Central.  
- The Dominant by tarasueme Sunday, August 22nd TIME TBA. Follow my twitter twiheather.


End file.
